Of Runways and Darkness
by thecrazydragonlady15
Summary: Book 2 of the "Shall We Dance?" Series. Several months have passed since the Winter Masquerade Ball, and life is looking pawesome for Paris' part-time superhero Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her and Adrien are finally a thing. Alya and Nino had join them as new heroes. Plus, Mr. Agreste wants to meet her! As Adrien's girlfriend! Life can't be this good right? Right. How will Mari do?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack! As promised, book 2 in the "Shall We Dance?" series! I'm not crawling back on my own though. This work is a collaboration between me and FanaticAo397 (this is is Ao3 information. I'll change it once he tells me if he has a account or not) and you best believe two heads are better than one and we have a lot planned! Anyway, I hope this opening chapter lives up to everyone's expectations! Enjoy!**

Night had fallen just as it always did. It was a pleasant one; the weather was warming into March and a breeze brushed across the surface, through the streets, and against the metal of the Eiffel Tower. This forced the hair of Paris' superhero, Ladybug, into her face which she reached up to brush away. Her eyes sparkled. Her heart swelled at the sight of Paris glowing in the darkness of the night and the gentle lights of the city, she breathed deep, releasing a rather contented sigh.

"What are the chances I run into a beautiful woman on such a beautiful night?" She rolled her eyes as Chat Noir landed on the beam with her. He straightened, a smirk on his face, moving close to her. He leaned down upon reaching her to kiss her cheek. She tilted her head back a bit to give him better access.

"Pretty high considering it's our patrol night." Chat wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck before resting his chin on her shoulder. Ladybug rested her hands on his. Together, they watched the city breathe below them; everything was peaceful and calm which was rare and in between considering Hawkmoth was still out there, still creating akumas, and still driving them crazy.

Life, beyond that, was near perfect. Three months had passed since the Winter Masquerade Ball hosted by the school; a lot of things had changed and for the better she thought especially since the two of them were now officially dating, there were two new superheroes to fight against Hawkmoth, and their second to last year was nearly done. She leaned back into him. A sigh escaped her lips again. He smirked, kissing her neck once more.

"Everything alright my lady?"

"Better than alright kitty," she smirked. She turned in his arms, facing him, wrapping them around his neck. She stood on tiptoe to kiss his nose. "Everything is perfect."

He smirked. His tail moved back and forth, ears perking, and eyes mischievously as he asked, "Don't you mean _purr-fect_?"

"You're horrible," she dead panned.

"Maybe but you love me."

Another sigh. "Of course I do." He leaned in close, placing his forehead on hers now, tightening his hands around her waist, a new smile crossing his face. Ladybug's heart pounded hard in her chest. They didn't say anything. They didn't need to honestly. Their movements and thoughts were so in-sync that they just did it; they just were. Chat Noir ducked his head a bit more to give her easy access to his lips while she pulled herself up a little bit more to return the kiss he placed softly on her own; running her fingers into his hair and balancing herself with her forearms on his shoulders. It was gentle. He revealed in the feel of her. How tiny she was in his arms! Maybe it was because he was still growing but she was so perfect under him, almost like a puzzle piece fitting into place; fitting like planned. His hands moved to grip her hips. A soft moan came from her throat, the sound making his ears twitch. He squeezed a bit more.

But Ladybug was having none of that. If he wanted to play that game, he best believe that two could be involved. She grinned underneath him before gently nipping at his lower lip which caused him to groan just as she had. She giggled. He pulled back, an eyebrow raised.

"You sneaky little...," he breathed. She silenced him quickly with a quick peck.

"Love you too Chat Noir." He rolled his eyes.

"You're not playing fair."

"No one said love was fair."

"Right." He kissed her forehead before whispering, "I missed you Mari." She smirked, kissing his nose before ruffling his hair a bit. He coughed. Over the last couple of months, she'd discovered that he did purr like a kitten and that when he coughed, it was to keep the sound from coming out. It didn't help. A tiny vibrating sound came from his throat and this caused his face to erupt into red, pulling back a hand to cover his mouth and his embarrassment. She pulled hers up too but to hide her giggle. He glared. She poked his nose to make him stop just before she took his hand and went to sit over the edge of the metal beam they stood on. Her legs swung back and forth. Their hands never parted.

They didn't speak for a couple of minutes until she felt his hand tighten on hers and a soft sigh escaped his lips. "The past two weeks have been too long. I really wanted to see you," she whispered, smiling and squeezing back.

"I know. I felt the same way. Facetime just isn't the same especially since I can't kiss you at any moment that I would like." He smirked. His thumb made soothing circles into her hand. Heat rushed from where he touched.

"So you wanted to kiss me?" She rolled her eyes.

"Don't fish. I'll deny I ever said it." He laughed. His eyes twinkled like the darkened sky above as he pulled her hand to lips, kissing the back of it. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?" He flinched. Quickly averting his eyes, he began to nervously look anywhere than at her.

This only made her more suspicious.

Ladybug leaned over, trying to meet his gaze again. "Chat Noir," she threatened. He still refused to look at her. She stopped for a second before quickly pushing him over and scrambling on top of him. Chat's face flushed. He wasn't prepared in any sense of the idea, easily falling over onto the beam, and allowing his tiny spotted girlfriend to straddle over the top of him with a mischievous smirk on her face.

This was it.

For sure.

He was going to die.

It would be a slow, painful death but he would love every second of it.

She took her hand and walked her fingers over his shoulders. He took a shuddering breath. His face grew redder and redder the longer she stayed on him; she leaned forward at one point, putting their lips mere inches away from each other. "Chat Noir," she breathed teasingly, "Kitten, do be kind and tell me what's wrong. You wouldn't want to make your girlfriend worry too much now would you?" Her fingers traced up his throat. He swallowed hard. Teasingly, she moved herself just a bit so that certain... _parts_ would move in certain ways.

She knew her power well.

Chat groaned before reaching up to grab her face and pull her down for another kiss. She giggled but didn't resist. When they pulled apart, he sighed again.

"You're going to be the death of me aren't you?"

"Maybe," she sing-songed. He paused for a second before sighing more... listfully this time, and reaching down to one of the pockets on his outfit. She had to move a bit to give him access. When he pulled his hand back out, a slightly crumpled, but still professional looking envelope came out of his pocket. Ladybug blinked as he held it in front of her face.

"For you," he stated. She sat up, getting off of him and taking the envelope gently.

"For... me?" She flipped it over. There were no distinguishing marks on the outside except for the pleasant scrawl of her name across the front which only read _Ms. Marinette Dupain-Cheng_. Chat nodded slowly. Without further prompting, she carefully opened the back and pulled out a rather professional looking letter. It was on Agreste letterhead. She blinked. Her breathing became short as she started shaking, opening it all the way. It was typed but read:

To Mademoiselle Marinette Dupain-Cheng,

On behalf of Gabriel Agreste, CEO and founder of Agreste fashion, we would like to congratulate you on making it to the final round of the Internship Design Contest. As a finalist, you will be expected to present a final portfolio to Mr. Agreste personally that matches the theme presented in this letter. You will need to design one of each of the following:

· One casual outfit

· One business outfit

· One sundress

· One cocktail dress

· One suit for males

You have until the provided deadline to design and sketch each of the outfits above as well as create a mock-up of at least three of your designs. These will be presented in person to Mr. Agreste at his headquarters.

This year's theme is: **Fairytales**.

Your deadline is: **March 31, 2017**.

Congratulations once more on your success,

Gabriel Agreste

 _CEO_ of Agreste Fashions

Marinette read the letter several times. Tears welled up in her eyes and she eventually squealed, turning enough to hug her boyfriend excitedly. "Adrien," she sobbed. He smirked and patted her back.

"I told you you'd do it," he beamed. She nodded, moving back to wipe her eyes. Looking up, she realized that there was one more letter in the envelope, sticking a bit to the first. She blinked. Pulling them apart, she realized that the second was a handwritten note on the same letter head. This one still had the air of professionalism on it despite reading:

 _Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng,_

 _Congratulations on your work. I am very impressed with what I have seen as I was the day of the bowler hat competition. I still stand by my statement. You have the skilled hands of a laborer and you will go far with that._

 _I would like to personally invite you to dinner with Adrien and myself. He has informed me of your status as his girlfriend and I would like to take the opportunity to get to speak to you without the competition in the way._

 _Respectfully,_

 _Gabriel Agrest_ e

She blinked. Her head shot up with her eyes wide as she looked between him and the letter. He smiled sadly.

"Sorry my lady," he whispered. "I didn't want him to try and manipulate you. I tried to keep it quiet but I should've known he would send Nathalie to find out what was going on. It really was a matter of time."

"He's not mad at you is he?"

"No. No! At least, I don't think he is. He hasn't said." He reached for her hand again and squeezed it. "It's alright though. I know he respects you because of the impressive work you do. If anything, you won't have to fear being frozen out of the fashion industry."

She flinched. "Adrien..."

"That came out wrong huh," he asked, cutting her off. Ladybug shut her mouth and let him continue. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you didn't start dating me for that. I know. I know your love is real and that you like me for... well, me and..." She reached up suddenly, taking his face in her hands. It was his turn to freeze.

"Adrien Agreste," she soothed, "Chat Noir. I love you."

He blinked, then softened. She didn't need to say anything else. Just those words were enough to calm him. He sighed happily this time before pulling her into a tight hug. After a few moments, she pushed him back gently with a smile.

"But, we do have school in the morning. We should get going." He nodded, standing and offering her a hand.

"Wise and beautiful as always."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she responded, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. He smirked.

"Thank-you," he whispered. She playfully poked his nose before reaching for her yo-yo, flinging it off to the nearest hook so that she could take off.

"Good night kitty. See you in the morning." She pulled. The yo-yo acted immediately, pulling her off into the darkness of the night. Chat watched her go with a smile on his face.

"Good night purrincess," he purred, taking off in the opposite direction.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: We don't want to reveal our hands too early but just to give you a tiny taste of the chaos to come... here's this chapter! Enjoy!**

Chloé Bourgeois was furious. It was nothing new; at least once a day she got annoyed at the mere peasantry in Paris getting in her way or messing up her clothing or worse, her hair. But now, she was beyond annoyed. She was truly angry. She sat on her bed, pouting, as she stared at her phone, an image of the newest Agreste Fashion magazine up where her best and longest friend, Adrien Agreste, smiled up at her from the electronic cover. It was an early spring edition of the newest fashions.

She _almost_ wanted to throw her phone across the room.

It wasn't fair! Adrien was supposed to be in love with her. After all, they were a perfect match; both of their fathers were someone, they were rich, and they'd known each other for years, even before their mothers both were out of the picture. She remembered the fun evenings they had. He'd happily played dolls with her while their mothers gossiped on the couch. When she wanted to play castle, he was always her knight. He always treated her with true respect and honesty and yes, she even put up with his extreme weeb stage when he discovered the world of anime even though most of the stories he watched made her roll her eyes. Honestly, he was just one giant _kitten_ and she loved him for it.

He should not be dating Maritrash of all people.

She slid off of her bed. Her fuzzy slippers, an expensive pair from Mr. Agreste himself which matched the robe and night gown she wore as well, and her hair was up in a bun to help keep her hair's integrity as she slept, made a soft swish on her carpeted floor. Her face was covered in a lush moisturizer. She needed to look her best in the daytime so that everyone could continue to love her as was appropriate for her status.

Well, all it seemed except Maritrash and her squadron of goons.

She nearly screamed at the injustice of the whole situation. The two of them had been vague. They hadn't shared the reasons or the method with any of them as to how the two of them had suddenly become a couple. Adrien had only smiled softly at her when she questioned him; he shook his head, patted her shoulder, and told her to not worry about it and just be aware that he was truly happy with the way things turned out. Of course she couldn't ask Marinette either. The two of them hadn't gotten along since their meeting in their middle school years. Any attempt to discuss a topic would immediately turn into a heated argument which usually ended with her walking away with a forced posture. She had to admit, since Alya's arrival, Marinette had grown a spine. She frowned at the thought.

Maybe if she broke their friendship….

No, that wouldn't work. It would probably only be temporary as well. The two of them were ickly positive and a squabble between the two of them probably wouldn't last more than a couple of days, two months, she wagered, at most.

There had to be something!

She eyed her phone. The hour was late and Sabrina wouldn't be awake. She sighed, knowing that even if she called the girl, she would merely parrot her ideas until _she_ finally came up with something. Honestly. As smart as the girl was, she was about as useful as a broken nail.

No, she would need to think. She would need to plan. One way or another, she was going to get Adrien to herself and Maritrash was finally going to be out of her life for good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: It's one of the longer chapters I've ever written but I like it. The following chapters are going to be interesting for sure. Enjoy! Be sure to let us know what you all think!**

The Friday morning dawned bright, an unusual circumstance given that Paris was often covered in clouds and looked dreary to outsiders. They loved it though and wouldn't change it for the world. However, the bright morning didn't help Marinette's anxiety. After leaving Chat Noir on the Tower, she'd immediately sped back to her room, transforming as she did a flip inside. Tikki spiraled out of her earrings before landing on the pillows with a weary smile and a soft comment about how glad she was that Hawkmoth had apparently backed off on the release of akumas. Marinette mumbled her agreeance. The little red kwami turned her head confused for a second. Her brow knotted in concern as she watched her chosen climb down off of her bed and go to her desk, sitting at it without much a word to her. She immediately pulled out her sketchbook. Tikki sighed.

It was going to be one of those nights.

After thinking about it, she giggled, grabbed a cookie (or two) from her stash, and made herself comfortable on the bed, listening to the gentle scratching sounds of her chosen's pencil as it quickly moved across the paper, stopping only now and then as the young woman tried to gather her thoughts.

The kwami was asleep soon after.

Marinette looked and felt like death.

She hadn't slept at all the previous night; the news of her second-round chance at an Agreste summer internship had her giddy.

Not that she could explain that to her parents.

After all, she'd been in her room all night and not secretly meeting with Adrien as Chat Noir and Ladybug at the top of the Eiffel Tower after a quick patrol where he told her the fabulous news that had kept her up all night planning and panicking about what she was going to do to make sure that she was going to be the Agreste intern this summer.

Nah. That hadn't happened.

She had to explain that she had had a nightmare and couldn't sleep. Her mother looked concerned. The older woman placed her hand on her daughter's forehead, concerned that she might have formed a fever or was coming down with some spring illness but Mari had assured her that wasn't the case. She dropped her hand after being sure that it was alright for her to leave that day.

Mari's feet dragged up the sidewalk. Suddenly, a set of hands caught her around the shoulders and she yelped, nearly pitching forward. She turned her head with a glare only to be greeted with a smirk across Alya's face. The darker skinned girl chirped, "Morning Mari!" Leaning closer she asked, "Long patrol?" Marinette rolled her eyes and straightened, forcing her friend's hands to drop. The two linked arms instead.

"Nope. Everything was quiet," she returned. Alya nodded and squeezed her arm.

"Good. I'll be honest, I get nervous when I'm not out helping anymore." Mari smirked.

"But you are always helping. Between the blog and well… the other things you do, you are helping."

"You're just saying that for brownie points."

The raven haired girl giggled. "Guilty as charged."

Since Alya and Nino had received the fox and turtle miraculouses respectively right before the Masquerade Ball, life had been so much easier for the spotted heroine. Paris, at first, had been hesitant to accept the new heroes especially since the first fox hero, Volpina, turned out to be a lie. However, word from Ladybug and the Ladyblog confirmed that these two were the real thing; Paris now had _four_ superheroes and there was almost a sigh of relief across the city. The hesitation was still there though. Now, as the seasons changed, and the month of March rolled on, the citizens were beginning to get more comfortable with the idea. Suddenly, Lady Fox and Emerald Shield were slowly growing their fan base. The idea of Alya being swamped with fans just like she was made Marinette giggle. The girl was good with popularity but even this was a bit overwhelming for her since most of her fans were kept at a distance through the Internet.

"So what had you up all night and looking like death today?"

"Do I really look that bad?"

"Let's just say your bags have bags." Marinette groaned.

"Beautiful. I'm sure Chloe's going to say something and I really don't want her to dampen my mood!" They entered their classroom, sitting in their usual seats. Only a couple of other people were in the room and they were so engrossed with what they were doing that they only briefly greeted the two girls before returning to their work. Alya leaned on the table.

"So share?" Marinette smirked, laying her head on the cool top.

"Adrien gave me the good news last night. First, I made it to the second round…." She had to cover her ears as her friend squealed and jumped her. Marinette had to sit up quickly and brace herself to keep them from falling onto the stairs on her right, wrapping her arms around her as Alya squeezed her happily.

"Oh my god! Girl! You did it! I told you your designs were off the chain!"

She laughed. "You did." It took a few moments but Alya eventually calmed enough to sit back down. Her excitement didn't leave her eyes though. She stayed leaning in, her eyes not breaking contact with her friend as she asked, "You said first. What could make that news better?" Marinette's smile almost wavered. She swallowed hard, looking at the table, twiddling her thumbs as she licked her lips.

"Well… uh… Gabriel Agreste wants to meet me. As Adrien's girlfriend."

Alya's mouth dropped. "No… no way. You got invited to the _Agreste mansion_? That is so completely not fair!" She giggled and winked.

"Brownie points apparently."

"Derby hat?"

"Derby hat."

The newswoman rolled her eyes. "Go figure."

"Go figure what," a new voice asked. Both girls smirked as in walked their boyfriends. Nino was reaching up to remove his signature red hat as he stepped up to his seat, quickly leaning over the table behind him to meet Alya with a quick peck on the cheek. Adrien smirked. He didn't lean over the table but he did go up the steps to do the same for Marinette who wasn't satisfied with the cheek, turning just enough to catch his lips for a split second. She giggled as Nino groaned. "Don't try to out sweet us Marinette Dupain-Cheng." The half Asian stuck her tongue out.

"We win no matter what," she poked. He raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. He chose to take his bag off and sit it next to his chair before gently tossing his hat onto his desk. Adrien gently grabbed her chin and frowned at her face; she only smiled back and quietly assured him that she was alright and just hadn't gotten enough sleep last night. Nino eyed Alya. She shook her head. Since more people were coming in, he decided against asking if it had anything to do with their secret identities, choosing instead to return to his original question.

"Anyway, go figure what?" Alya pointed a thumb at the two of them.

"Lover boy there didn't tell you?" Nino blinked. His eyes darted over to his blonde, cat-like friend and narrowed.

"Tell me what?" Adrien shrugged.

"Nothing major. I guess they're either talking about Mari making the second round of the competition…."

"Congrats," Nino directed at her. She thanked him quickly.

"Or that my father wants to meet her officially. As my girlfriend over dinner." Nino's jaw dropped.

" _Dude_ …."

"We know," they said in unison. All four laughed at the response before they turned at a clearing of a throat which was Ms. Bustier asking them to prepare for class for the day. The two boys moved to sit down.

Class flew by thankfully. Marinette felt sick and draggy but when lunch finally rolled around, Adrien grabbed her hand and led her from the room, followed quickly by Alya and Nino. They went out to the park for a pleasant picnic lunch (provided of course by the Dupain-Chengs at a secret request from Alya). After eating, Adrien ordered her to nap. She did, curling up next to him with her head on his lap. He coughed at one point. She giggled in her half-sleep state and the other two merely eyed them before deciding that there were other, more important things, to discuss. The two of them gathered their belongings, winked at Adrien, before walking off to have their "discussion." He merely rolled his eyes. His life colored eyes stared gently at the girl in his lap as he gently brushed her hair. An equally gentle breeze brushed across them. Marinette's breaths were even as she caught up on the rest that she missed the night before and, seeing as no one was around, Tikki and Plagg flew out of their hiding places to smack hard into each other before landing on the ground cuddling. Adrien only smiled at them.

When the time was up, he gently shook her shoulder. "Mari," he purred, "time to get up."

She groaned, swatting his hand away. Curling over, she balled herself up, and mumbled something about getting "five more minutes." He shook his head. Leaning over, Adrien put one hand over her to brace him into a near push-up position. He hovered over her. A smile crossed her face which told him that she knew what she was doing.

"No, no five more minutes," he soothed. "We've got to get back for class." She groaned again. Adrien shook his head but ducked down to gently kiss her exposed temple. Her smile grew wider. "C'mon Mari." Another kiss on the cheek. "Wake up." A third on her nose. She giggled softly, blinking her eyes open to look up at him. There was nothing but absolute love and adoration for him shining out of them and it made his face flush red. He backed up.

"What do I get if I wake up," she breathed.

He pretended to think for a moment. "How about the best camembert in France?" Her nose twisted which caused him to laugh. "Not your cup of tea I see."

"Not funny Adrien Agreste."

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with camembert," grumped Plagg.

"There is everything wrong with it," Tikki chidded, "how you can stand something that smells like death is beyond anyone with normal senses."

"I am literally the god of destruction. Death is me."

Three sets of heads rolled their eyes and shook at the same time. Adrien moved back in closer to Marinette, kissing her cheek one more time. "Then how about a good afternoon wake-up kiss?"

"Much better," she purrred.

"Agreed." He leaned down all the way then, softly touching his lips to hers and reaching up with a free hand to gently stroke her cheek. Mari turned a bit. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and nearly forced him all the way on to her; he was ready though, very well aware of how strong his lady was. He had already braced for it.

The kiss started out slow. However, with each passing second though, it became hotter and more intimate. The two of them lost all sense of time, location, and were singularly focused on the desperation that was them in the moment.

It took a clearing throat to separate them.

They pulled apart quickly. Both of their faces turned red and they appropriately looked abashed. Plagg grunted. Tikki giggled. Both flew back in their hiding places before their chosen gathered their things and returned to school, hand-in-hand.

"So spill girl," Alya nearly squealed as they walked out of the classroom. Classes had finished for the afternoon but before Adrien or Nino could offer to walk their girlfriends anywhere, Alya had grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her out of the classroom. The raven haired girl just followed. She knew better than to argue with the stubborn newspaper woman. "What are you doing for the competition? What about the dinner?! You have got to go out of bounds on both of them especially since Gabriel Agreste will personally be assessing you!"

Marinette's face paled. "Y-yeah. He is." The omber haired girl blinked before she patted her friend's hand gently, sitting them on a bench within the school walls.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

She waved her off. "It's alright. I'm just…."

"Nervous that you're not going to do well even though all of us keep telling you that you will? I know," Alya winked. She held out a hand. "Hand over the sketch book. I want to see what you've planned so far since I'm thinking your sleepless night was primarily because you were planning."

"Sometimes it scares me how well you know me," she noted, handing over the pink and white sketchbook. There was a chuckle.

"Someone has to. Afterall, I am your number one fan." Marinette sighed as she opened the sketchbook to skim through it. Alya assessed each drawing carefully. The other girl held up a hand and started listing all of the things she had to finalize before the deadline: designing each outfit around the fairytale theme, DECIDING ON A FUCKING FAIRYTALE (how did she forget about that?!), designing the patterns, laying them out, cutting and sewing, getting the materials (and no, Adrien was not allowed to reserve a fancy boutique for her to shop in and then pay for every inch of fabric and supplies she would need), finalizing, and then of course modeling them. She wondered out loud if Nathaniel or Juleka dabbled in photography and if they wouldn't mind helping her. Alya snorted insulted. Marinette giggled and poked her in the cheek.

"I know _you_ of all people can do photography but I want you to be my model instead." Alya narrowed her eyes.

"Flatterer."

"What can I say? Chat's rubbed off."

"Don't bring your cat-fetished boyfriend into this!"

"I can't do that anymore than you can exclude your turtle-fetished one."

"What even is a turtle-fetish?"

"I don't know. He watches _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ and wears a turtle backpack?"

"I can verify one of those. I haven't seen a turtle backpack in his room." The two of them giggled before diving back into the sketchbook. After thirty minutes, they had picked three designs for the casual, cocktail, and sundress outfits before Alya leaned her head on her hands, a mischievous smirk crossing her lips. "Okay, I've seen the others but what have you got planned for the dinner with your future father-in-law?"

"He-he…!" Alya giggled as her friend turned a beat red and started making unintelligible noises. She wrapped her arms around her. A scowl eventually crossed the raven haired girl's face. "You're a horrible and cruel person."

"But you love me."

"But I love you." Alya reached again for the sketch pad. She flipped through a couple of pages before stopping on a certain design; it was a cute, Ladybug inspired dress that was primarily red with black polka dots on the skirt and bodice, an accented black wrap mid-section with layered sleeves, collar, black heels, white stockings and a cute white headband.

"What about this one?" Mari blinked at it but eventually shook her head.

"Not for a dinner with Mr. Agreste. Now if I was trying to talk him into a children's line of clothing, maybe." She took the book back and flipped to another design, holding it up smugly for her to examine. Alya's mouth dropped.

"GURL!"

"Yeah, I know," Marinette noted as she closed it and placed it back in her messenger bag. Looking up, she noticed that Alya's eyes were twinkling mischievously; the sense of trouble coming from her was enough to wake Trixx from her nap to poke her head out and giggle. Her kit was learning. Quickly she might add. She disappeared back into her hiding place as another set of students wandered by. Marinette eyed her. The other girl quickly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close to whisper into her ear. The half Asian's eyes widened the longer the ombre haired girl spoke. Eventually, she giggled with her. "You're evil! I love it. I'm sure I can make it work and Adrien…."

"Is going to die. I know." She playfully laid across Mari's lap, dramatically placing her arm across her forehead. "But I'm a friend who encourages such death in my friends."

"Right. Now get off of me Fox. We need to get going or you'll never get a real break before patrol tonight."

"Yes ma'am!" Alya jumped up, saluting Marinette, who saluted back, and the two girls giggled before walking out of the school and into the pleasant afternoon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I'm looking to do maybe three or four chapters today because I fell behind last week. This has been a crazy week at work for me! We have testing to administer and it's LITTER-ally eating up all my time. I'm going to bed exhausted and waking up in the same state. It's horrendous. I hate it.**

 **Alright, that's enough of a rant session for me. Please enjoy the chapter!**

Adrien was scared.

Terrified really.

At the end of the school day, Adrien had left with Nino after the girl's had run off. He bid his friend good bye as he left for the day and the blonde headed off for the gym locker room so he could change for fencing; they only practiced for an hour since it was Friday but at the end of that time, Adrien found himself blinking curiously at the same two girls he had seen leave sometime before. They sat on a bench, heads close, giggling every now and then. He started to go ask if they would like to walk home together when he suddenly saw Alya lean closer to Marinette. She whispered something. It was adorable to see the way her face twisted the longer her friend gave her an idea.

What terrified him were the words that followed: "You're evil! I love it. I'm sure I can make it work and Adrien…."

"Is going to die. I know." He froze. What? He listened for more but all he heard was Marinette ordering them to leave so that Alya could take a break before patrol that evening. Neither of them spied him. They left. Adrien followed, his heart pounding like crazy. The girls were gone by the time he got outside and the Gorilla stared at him so all he could do was put on an air of calm before jumping into the car to go home himself.

He was going to owe Plagg a month's worth of camembert since he needed to know why he was going to die and how Marinette was planning to do it.

Chat Noir grunted as he vaulted over a rooftop and landed on the next; the feature he loved the most of all of his powers was the night vision he had since it allowed him to see details that none other than the actual alley cats saw in the dark. He knew the seasons were changing. He didn't see his breath like he had in December, January, and February. The thought made his ears and tail twitch. It was such a happy thought that his life, despite his father's frequent absence, was turning into everything he always wanted it to be. Especially when his thoughts lazily rolled to the idea of his girlfriend. Marinette was everything he'd dreamed of since the day he met Ladybug: strong, courageous, intelligent, gentle, caring, sweet. Beautiful. He smirked as he cleared another set of roofs.

Everything was… well, perfect.

Yeah, perfect.

He stood atop the buildings across from Marinette's balcony. There was no missing the busy young woman moving back and forth in her room, every now and then pausing to say something to her kwami, giggling, and then going back to whatever it was she had been doing. There was no doubt in his mind that the pieces of fabric and clothing he saw every now and then were her contest pieces coming to life. He wondered if she would let him see any. She had been really protective of her ball gown back in December (oh, and he needed to remember to return it to her since he'd immediately had any water damage fixed so that she could wear it again for another formal event. Or their daughter could for her first. Either or). His cheeks flushed. There was almost a tremor in his suit which made him immediately think that Plagg was laughing at him. He blew a frustrated breath before jumping over to the balcony. Making sure to land with a thud and give her a second to hide anything she didn't want him to see, he straightened and went towards the entrance. He could hear movement below. He smirked knowing that she was doing exactly as he predicted; a few moments later, she pushed the hatch open, a smile crossing her face.

"Hey," he greeted. She moved out of the way to give him access to the room which he slid into with ease. She secured it back once he was clear. Her eyes rolled as she turned to find him leaning against her pillows, a smirk on his face, and a twinkle in his eyes. Chat Noir held his arms out for her as he rested on her pillows. She went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They laid in silence for some time.

"So," she breathed, "What brings the great Chat Noir to my loft?"

"A cat can't desire to see his purrincess can he?"

She eyed him. Leaning up a bit to see his face better, she quipped, "Not when he saw me today, he knows I'm making surprise clothing, and he knows he shouldn't be abusing his partner like this." A raised hand counted off the things as she listed off everything she said.

"Plagg agreed to this!"

"You still can't abuse him."

"It's not abuse if he's doing it willingly!"

"Did he really agree to this..or was he bribed?"

"... He agreed with a little cheese as incentive."

She rolled her eyes again and poked his nose. "Still abuse Chat." She paused. "But seriously… What's up Adrien? You usually only come to see me if something's wrong." He flinched, tightening his arms around her.

"Sorry," he breathed. "I don't mean to." He kissed her forehead. "I need to come by more just to come by," he murmured against her skin. She smiled, tilting her head back and hugging herself closer to him. Their legs became entwined the longer they laid there; not that they minded. Chat licked his lips.

"Purrincess," he purred, "A little birdy told me that you were planning something big for Adrien."

She giggled. Leaning up again, she balanced herself so that she could lazily trace a teasing line up his chest. "Oh?" He swallowed hard.

"Y-yeah and it mentioned something about Adrien… dying?" The motion of her hand stopped. Chat's face flushed under his mask as he watched her fight so hard not to laugh even though she failed. His ear's twitched at the sound: musical, light. What didn't help was the longer it went, the redder his face got. At one point, she even rolled away from him, wrapping her arms around her middle as tears streamed from her beautiful sky-colored eyes. "Are you done," he asked a minute later. She sat up, wiping the corner of her eyes with a hand. The giggles were more ragged now and in between some breaths. Chat sat up now too. Only his arms were crossed and a pout was on his lips, the cat ears were flat on his head and his tail, laying on the bed, twitched. Her smile never dimmed as she moved closer again. Gently, she reached up and cupped his face. The pout didn't leave.

"Chat, don't pout," she sing-songed. He turned his head a bit so that he wasn't looking directly at her. She kissed his nose. "Did the little birdy tell you that Alya and I were thinking of doing something special for the dinner? Just for Adrien Agreste's eyes and to make him feel a bit better about the whole thing since I know how worried and protective he is about me and his father interacting." His ears twitched this time. "I promise it's nothing bad but no, you don't get to know about it,"she added, cutting him off. His pout deepened.

"Not fair purrincess."

"Didn't I already tell you claw's fair in love?"

Chat stared at Mari like she'd just shot his heart with an arrow. Which she might as well have done. The smirk on her face grew wider, her eyes narrowed alluringly, and she licked her lips as she took inventory of him.

"What's the matter kitty, did you grab your own tongue?"

Now said organ was swollen to the roof of his mouth. Marinette only giggled as he reached for her, gently pulling her to him, and kissing her on the very lips she'd just subtly indicated she wanted kissing. She ran her fingers into his hair. Absently, she touched his ears. They twitched. When they pulled apart, their eyes didn't leave the other but Mari did take a free hand and stroke his cheek.

"For the record," he breathed, "your puns are still clawful. Leave it to the purr-fessionals."

"Purr-fessionals? Even that was bad for your standards."

"Paw-lease. It was pawsome and you know it." She rolled her eyes.

"Stop it!"

"Why? Are you mew-sierable?"

She started to pull away but Chat had none of that. He grabbed the tops of her arms, pulling her back to him but when she struggled playfully against him, he twisted so that she ended up underneath him. His tail, now in the air, swished playfully. To this day, she would swear she could see tiny invisible hearts floating off of his head, as if she needed any more reason to believe either of them wasn't a total weeb and perfect for each other.

"Chat Noir, I will throw you off my balcony if you don't stop!"

"Death by an angel? I think I can risk it. Besides, the headlines will be a-mew-sing!"

"Chat!" She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. His soft blonde hair tickled her chin and neck as his lips traced a gentle path in the same place.

"My lady, I'm paw-sitively feline that you are the purr-tiest girl in the world and that you love this alley cat too much to kill me. I'm too purr-cious. You'll admit one day that I am a-mew-sing and you cat live without my puns." She stifled a laugh. No way. She wasn't about to give him an ego boost. Chat heard it though; the perks of being a cat based hero with magical powers is that he could hear even the tiniest of sounds which included the near strangled-sound in her throat. He started to say something when there came a sound from below. Freezing, he waited, realized the sound was getting closer before he rolled over, out of sight of the door below. Marinette blinked confused.

"Marinette?" She knew the voice instantly and looked over the edge of her bed. Her father stood in the entrance, holding the door up. He was in his night clothing. "Your mother says it's late. Turn your light off. There may not be school but we're going to need your help in the morning with the bakery."

"Yes Papa," she chirped. He smiled at her before disappearing back into the main part of the house. Chat released the breath he held. Marinette smirked at him and leaned over to kiss his forehead. "Guess that's your cue to go home." He nodded. Sitting up, he kissed her nose in return, his eyes glowing. He hesitated to go. Now it was his turn to lick his lips as he eyed her one more time but before he could ask the question on his mind, Mari reached up and poked his nose, causing him to scrunch it. "No kitty. You don't get to know. Would you just trust me? I purr-omise what Alya and I are scheming is not bad. You'll enjoy it. For sure." He sighed, catching her hand and kissing the back of it.

"You, I trust. That fox you call a friend, not so much."

"Probably a wise idea."

"I'm going to be concerned about her words too."

"Metaphorically speaking. I'm not going to actually kill you. Weren't you the one who said you're too purr-cious for me to kill?"

"Stop throwing my puns back at me."

"Or?"

"Purrincess, you know I have nothing for that."

"I know. It's still cute to see you try and think you can win." She kissed him quickly before gently pushing him to go. "Alright, bed time. You better go before someone figures out you're not at home."

He brushed some of her hair off of her forehead. "Good-night my lady. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay," she yawned. Chat stood and pushed her balcony door open. He blew her one final kiss once he was up, shut her door, and disappeared into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: It short but I have reasons for this. Since it is so short, I'm going to update another chapter today. Be on the look out for that. Enjoy!**

It still bothered her. It would always bother her until she managed to break Maritrash and her Adrikins up. Chloe sat in her room at the desk she'd allowed her father to place there not too long ago. It was for show only. He had insisted that she at least start looking like she was a powerful mature person which a good desk always insinuated and at the very least, it was good for intimidating anyone who came to visit. She'd only rolled her eyes at the time but allowed her father to purchase her an ornate, old-fashioned desk.

She had to admit that she actually liked the thing.

At least it matched the rest of her room.

Admitting for once that her father was right was the last thing she ever wanted to do. The man was too cowardly and naiive for anyone's good but when it came to desperate situations, he was just conniving enough to get the outcome he wanted. Hence why he was still the Mayor of Paris. She drummed her fingers on the smooth top. She'd taken to sitting at it in the matching memory foam wheeling chair when she had to contemplate something- if only to feel powerful long enough to get her thoughts out.

Her thoughts only circled again and again on them!

It was infuriating and made her sick to her stomach. Marinette was all over Adrien and he just as much with her. She knew her best friend and it wasn't hard to figure out what the half-Asian valued above all else since they'd been enemies since meeting in middle school. The blond could easily count off on one hand the things they valued between the two of them.

There was each other of course at the top. Ugh.

School. Both of them were losers in that respect.

Their friends. Adrien didn't have many but he valued each greatly.

Modeling. Marinette for the mere pleasure of seeing her clothing on other people and Adrien because it was his life.

She stopped on the last one. An idea slowly formed in her mind. Of course! Modeling. Both of them were tied through the modeling. Chloe had her nose and hand in every part of the city thanks to her father; it didn't escape her attention that the Agreste company was running an internship competition that Maritrash had succeeded in so far. She drummed her fingers faster. Yes what if…? Yes. That would work. Adrien would break for a bit but he would come around to seeing things her way and if needed she could always use Sabrina like she always did to make him come her way. She was brilliant! Chloe immediately jumped for the bell to ring for her butler who came without question. He still did not question when she asked for the mayor's office official letterhead. He still did not question when an hour later, she asked him to get the mayor's signature onto the paper.

Chloe smiled to herself.

She was going to win.

Marinette was going to lose everything.

Unfortunately, that meant Agreste Fashions had to fall.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: The next chapter as promised! I actually live streamed as I worked on this chapter so it was... interesting. I'm kidding. Literally Fanatic was the only one there so (TT^TT). That's okay. It'll get better. Hopefully more people will show up next time (I should probably pick a better time to be doing all of this anyway).**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

Maria Vasquez was in trouble.

Not like a "oops" kinda trouble but more like a "her whole life was now crashing around her head" kinda trouble. She messed up. Big time. After years of studying and doing her best to achieve the job of her dream.

When she was little, her father would take her all over the world, Britain, France, Japan, Israel, Romania, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, America, everywhere! She loved it. What fascinated her the most were the various languages; even the changes in her native tongue intrigued her to the point that she decided that she had to learn them all. At least, as many as she could. That's why she wanted to be a translator. Everything she worked towards was for that one goal and her parents backed her the whole way. They were so proud of her when she finally graduated. They were even more so when she finally got a professional job for a major corporation in which she traveled to other countries with the CEO in order to ensure that all major transactions went smoothly. She'd been doing well for the last three years.

A hiccup interrupted her thoughts.

Her eyes rolled and the lashes fluttered, trying to clear her vision. It didn't work. She still couldn't see but that was the alcohol's fault.

Speaking of.

She took another hard swallow.

Damn the French.

Damn their language.

Damn her boss.

Another hiccup. Another swallow.

The day had started out like any other but don't most of them? She had flown in a day ago for a meeting here between a major French company and her boss in order to start shipping some materials between the two to automate the process at many of the factories under their company. Something about creating more works or whatever. She didn't know. Dealings of the lesser people where none of her business; she just had to listen to her boss and the others that they dealt with and translate everything. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Pretty much she was useless and she knew it but she still loved to listen to how words rolled off others' tongues as they spoke in their own languages. It sent shivers down her spine. The sensation was better than any pleasure anyone could offer to her.

She had been enjoying listening so much today, something that rarely if ever happened, that she missed some vital information.

She'd messed up. Big time.

The meeting had ended in a near shouting match between both parties until her boss, ever the embodiment of calm, had called for silence from all people, stared her down, and asked her to repeat what the French representatives had said. She swallowed. Repeating it, they realized that she had mistakenly switched up some words, easily changing the meaning of the sentence and nearly insulting all parties in the room. All eyes turned on her in that moment.

She'd never felt so exposed in her life.

Another swallow.

Her boss softly asked her to tell the others that they were sorry for the mistake. Shakingly, she did. They only nodded at her but the frowns on their faces never left until they all finally shook hands on the agreement and they were escorted out. The older man met her eyes when they were at the bottom.

"Go home," he softly but firmly ordered. She didn't know what to think; he had often demonstrated himself as a kind leader who often led people like herself through their mistakes. There was none of that this time. He just gave an order, climbed into his limo, and left her standing on the sidewalk.

Wouldn't you know it? It had to rain too.

Walking to her hotel, dark thoughts circled fiercely in her mind. What if he was going to fire her? What if she was going to be blacklisted from working in other companies? What if she lost the only dream she ever had? It wasn't fair! She was only human after all. Humans made mistakes. He didn't have to be so dismissive of her.

That had been hours ago.

Now she laid on her hotel floor, empty bottles of some alcohol around her, her makeup smeared from crying.

It wasn't fair!

She was so angry and upset but she didn't know what to do.

Should she call her parents? Oh god! They were going to be so disappointed in her. This was a tragedy! It was horrible.

A cold chill shot down her spine.

Her life was over.

Maniacal laughter tore from her throat and she threw her arm over her eyes, not caring that the makeup was now going to ruin the sleeve of her jacket.

A small silver box on her hip, an item of a bygone era to be honest, beeped. She looked down at the pager and it had just one message, "Call the boss." Her face fell. Fear shot through her heart and she wanted nothing more than to curl in on herself and disappear. Let the world handle her failure as it wanted. She just didn't want to be there for it.

The world grew fuzzy in her mind. It felt… whole. Complete. RIGHT. She sat up, completely entranced and let the warm, black feeling course through her system. She knew what this was. Even in Spain they knew about Hawkmoth and how he terrorized the citizens of Paris. They knew how he would send out his little black butterfly and offer his victims peace instead of the raging emotions they had.

A voice strongly spoke to her, "Miss Translate, I'm Hawkmoth. What happened today was not your fault. After all, everyone should be impressed that you know so many languages."

"That's right," she agreed. Standing, she waited. She wanted it.

"I can help," he continued, "no one will be able to judge you if they all speak funny right? I can give you that ability. However, I need something in return. I need you to bring me the miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir."

A twisted grin crossed her lips.

"¡Por supuesto mi amigo!"

The darkness swirled all around her until the power was hers and havoc was meant to be rained on the people of Paris.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Ignore the fact that it's been far too long, have an update! (Side Note: Sorry y'all. Life's just been a pain in the last month. I've been trying so hard but I've been so worn out every day after work I haven't worked on ANYTHING.)**

"Chat! Left!"

The black clad superhero ducked left as a spinning green shield flew past him to smack sharply into a blast of… of, well, letters. It scattered. The letters scrambled and then rounded back, flying to the woman who controlled them, redecorating her suit as if they'd never left. She gritted her teeth. A soft growl escaped her lips again and she raised a hand, the letters swirling up her body before shooting out of her once more as she angrily thrusted it forward. Chat dodged. Emerald raised his shield again, grunting at the impact.

Ladybug peeked her head up around from behind a vehicle. The akuma, Miss Translate as she'd introduced herself earlier in the fight, was sufficiently distracted by the boys and was busy firing blast after blast at them. She ducked back down, staring at Lady Fox next to her. Like she had in several fights since the Winter Masquerade, Fox was using her ability to "see" the cursed item. Her eyes glowed orange and in her mind, she saw everything in clearness. Ladybug was almost see through next to her but she was colored red, Emerald was green, Chat was black, and the akuma was white.

Except for a little box on her hip which flamed purple in color.

When the vision ended, Fox looked at her partner with determination.

"She's got some kind of box device on her hip right now. I think it's a pager to be honest."

Chat landed near them. "A pager," he groaned, jumping back to his feet, "aren't those like super out of date?"

"Guess no one told her," Emerald grunted, deflecting yet another blast.

"Whatever the reason, it's there and we should probably do some snatching and smashing before my time runs out," Fox called back, clearing the car in seconds.  
Ladybug nodded, "Good job Lady Fox. Keep her distracted you three." She nodded in return before running off to join the fray, wielding her weapon, the flute, like a staff. The three of them braced themselves and went on the offensive, Emerald tossing his shield so that Miss Translate had to block with her hands to keep it from smacking into her face. She grunted as two staffs suddenly made contact with her in mid-air, pushing her back some distance; glaring, she spotted Chat Noir and Lady Fox high fiving with cocky smirks on their faces. Her eyes traveled. Suddenly, she spotted the heroine she wanted. Ladybug threw her arm up in the air, releasing her yo-yo as she shouted, "Lucky Charm!" It was very easy to see the brilliant red magic coming off the spinning devices and then as they swirled and solidified into some kind of object. The akuma didn't get to see it as she was suddenly hit again by a staff.

"Hey there! This isn't time for a cat nap." Chat Noir pushed down on his staff but grunted when she pushed back, sending him flying once more on the paved roads of Paris. The fox put her flute to her lips. Before she could play though, a purple mask appeared over the villain's white one, and she gritted her teeth and aiming at the superhero, she shot another blast.

Fox didn't have time to respond.

She fell over backwards and gasped as the beam came closer. Raising her arms, she closed her eyes and got ready for the pain or whatever that was bound to come.

It didn't though.

A shadow crossed her vision. Fox opened them to find Emerald standing over her, deflecting blast after blast. He looked back over his shoulder, smiling at her, before grunting, "I got you."

"Thanks," she breathed.

"Anytime." He grunted again but threw his arm out, grabbing her hand and ducking behind a nearby car while they recouped. She looked down at her charm. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly from all the energy they'd used and her face fell when she realized she was down to three minutes. "You need to get out of here," he ordered. She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you three." Emerald grabbed her shoulder gently.

"Look Fox. Trixx can't hold on much longer. You were amazing but please, your identity is too important to risk. Get going. We'll be fine until you get back." She hesitated but shook her head.

"I'll go when it's down to one."

"Fox…!"

"One Emerald." He scowled but knew that there was no further point in arguing as his girlfriend was rather stubborn and was going to have her way one way or the other. She stood back up. "Come on. We've left Chat and Ladybug alone for too long." Before he could say anything else, she took off back around the vehicle, raising her flute to knock back some stray letters. Emerald only shook his head and followed after.

Ladybug, meanwhile, looked desperately around the area. Three things lit up with her lucky vision: the platter she'd created, Chat Noir, and a lamp post. The instant her eyes fell on the lamp post, she knew what had to happen, the plan appearing in an instant like a miracle. She readied herself. "Chat Noir! The lamp post!"

Chat's ears twitched. He looked back over his shoulder to see his lady standing from her protected spot, running towards him. He quickly turned and ran towards the object in question, off to his right, shouting for his own ability.

However, he never makes his objective.

Miss Translate sees Ladybug approaching and aims for her. The spotted heroine deflects the blast with the tray but instead of going skyward, it goes downward, destroying the ground under her feet. Ladybug gasps as she pitches forward. The platter skitters across the ground and out of reach. Chat's heart races as he watches his girlfriend groan from the ground, a small gash on her forehead bleeding, and as the akuma gets ready to fire again.

Fox and Emerald are too far away.

He can make it though.

Without hesitating, Chat rushes back to her aid. The akuma fires the blast. He jumps. In a bizarre twist of fate, the blast hits his hand, shooting back at its sender, causing her to screech as the two magics, Cataclysm and her own, mix within her body. Miss Translate falls. So does Chat. Ladybug gasps and scrambles to her feet. Running over, she turns Chat over to check him for any injuries. His face and body appear fine but he groans anyway, smiling gently up at her. The akuma shakes her head. A purple mask appears on her face but she stops. Confusion is etched on her expression.

Miss Translate retreated, leaving the four superheroes to watch as she goes.

"Oh man," Emerald complains, "She got away but Chat dude, are you alright?"

The three of them eyed him as he shook his head, assessing himself for damage. Everything felt like it was in its place. First his feet. His legs. Torso alright. Shoulders, arms, hands, neck, and his head, although a bit fuzzy, was alright. He smiled up at Ladybug as he finally confirmed that everything was good but the longer he talked, the more he realized that something wasn't okay. He slowly stopped. His Lady helped him sit up. She bit her lip.

"Chat, can you still run?" He nodded, wondering what was wrong but he didn't get an answer to his thought as she stood and helped him up. Turning to the others, she swiftly ordered, "Go rest for a bit. Meet at my room in an hour. I'll tell my parents you're coming." She grabbed Chat's hand and looked at his ring. It beeped once. She sighed. "You're going to have to go through my balcony to get in my room but I'll tell my parents you came up the back stairs or something." His ears laid flat. He started to ask something but Ladybug but she put a finger over his mouth and silenced him which caused his ears to go even flatter if that was possible but he froze when he saw the look in her eyes. She was scared. As the leader, she often kept such emotions hidden from her team, from Paris, from the world. Now they were raw and glistening in her eyes brightly. "Trust me Chat, we'll talk about later but for right now, I really really really need you to trust me and not speak." He nodded, sadness in his own eyes. She smiled sadly but looked a little relieved. "Good now, let's go. We'll see you in an hour Emerald, Fox." The superheroes nodded, taking off in different directions. Ladybug led him up and over the rooftops of Paris until they were back at her balcony. As she flipped down onto it, she transformed back. Tikki flew up concerned.

"Oh Chat," she worried. He leaned his head and looked down at his ring. There were three pads left. Now was as good a time as any to detransform.

He opened his mouth.

His ears twitched when he finally heard himself speak which is when he realized why Marinette was so concerned.

"Plague small fin!"

Cripes. They were in trouble.

 **MLBMLBMLBMLB**

Hawkmoth, despite all sounds and appearances, is not all powerful, nor is he as well protected as he should be. He may not be at the main battle, tucked away safely in his hideaway, but there is one form of danger that can be used to harm him.

Where there is a puppet, there must be a puppeteer.

Where there is a puppet, there must be strings to tie it to said puppeteer.

Hawkmoth always ran a risk when he created a new akuma. Infusing the little akumas with darkness also meant that he had to infuse enough of his own conscience into them to control the people he chose. He was the puppeteer. He was the master. However, the magic flowed two ways. In order for the bond to be complete, he had to take on a bit of his tool's personality. It was only fair to keep balance.

When Chat Noir's cataclysm hit his akuma, it mixed with her own magic, creating a negative reaction in her. She screamed for she truly was in pain. However, it needed an outlet.

An outlet it had.

In the form of invisible, magical puppet strings.

The magic shot back along the connection. Hawkmoth heard himself scream the word "NO" but everything quickly went black.

When he woke several minutes later, his head was cloudy and he wasn't sure what had happen. He spoke to Miss Translate but he clearly saw the confusion on her face and she took off without saying a word to him. A soft growl left his throat. The battle was over so he called for the transformation to end. It didn't. Looking down, he saw himself still in his signature purple butterfly suit. The mask was still on. He called again. Still the same.

His brooch sounded once. Being the intelligent villain he was, he realized he had to wait until Nooroo finally tired and released the transformation himself.

However, he had to hear….

"Stark blings troll!"

Cripes. He was in trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: *cracks knuckles* Alright. I managed to focus enough to get this chapter out. Really, it's all fluff and filler which sucks but I promise it plays a big role in the future. *Cackles to self about the evil I have planned.* Anyway, enjoy!**

Marinette paced back and forth. Chat's transformation had worn off some time ago and now Adrien Agreste sat in her rolling chair, his legs spread so his hands could sit in between them on the edge of said chair as he watched his adorable little girlfriend stress over the situation. At one point, he opened his mouth but when the words he didn't want came out, he ended up just motioning to her. Mari eyed him. He motioned frantically with his hands for her to come over to him. Slowly, she did but as soon as she was in reach, he gently took her hands and smiled up at her softly, kissing the back of both of them before pulling her closer to hug her tightly. She reached up and hugged around his neck. Leaning down a bit was enough to kiss the top of his head. She sighed.

"I'm so sorry Adrien." He eyed her. Raising his eyebrow was the only way to ask, "Why?" She toyed with a piece of his soft hair, her eyes diverted as she answered the unspoken question, "You were protecting me… again. I've been so clumsy lately. I nearly was hit by Madame Pirouette at the ball and then Miss Translate." She sighed again, raising a hand to cover her face. "If anything happens to you… it's going to be my fault."

Adrien squeezed her waist. He opened his mouth to quickly reply with, "Match lost, true wheel lever loose say. Thru well seawalls key tat trust soul maid moth bits lost joust teal provide yet."

Marinette giggled and poked his nose. "You silly cat. I didn't understand a thing you just said." If he was a superhero, she would've sworn his ears had gone flat but a quick peck on the nose helped to fix him right up. "But if I know you well enough, it was probably sappy and self sacrificing so thank-you." She giggled again as he hugged her close and peppered little kisses on her neck. Eventually, their lips met for a soft kiss.

They broke it off only when they heard from below, "Don't worry Mrs. Cheng! We'll just show ourselves up. Adrien and Marinette should be up there and expecting us." Pause. "Uh…. yes, ma'am. I'm sure. That's where she said we were going to meet for our… for our project!"

They were closer now so she could hear her mom reply, "That's odd. I didn't see her come in; she must have come in the back door then. I'll be up in a few minutes with some snacks for you kids."

A sigh escaped the young girl's lips. She'd forgotten about explaining how she'd gotten home. At least her best friend was good at coming up with a story to cover their tails. Marinette's trap door opened a few moments later and in popped Alya whose brow was furrowed as her eyes landed on the two of them. She cleared the door for Nino who came in too. They shut the door. All of the kwamis flew out of hiding and once everyone was settled, the half-Asian stood back up, facing the three of them, her mind running a million miles a minute. "Miss Translate is a tricky akuma. Especially since getting hit results in a scrabbling of language." She motioned to Adrien. "There's no way Chat Noir is going to be able to help us since I doubt he'll be able to transform as he is."

"That's for sure,"Plagg snickered. "I had to waste my energy before we could even transform back. Plus, Romeo couldn't even woo his lady a second ago." Alya raised an eyebrow. Tikki elbowed him in the side to which the black cat hissed and rubbed his side. Adrien just turned red.

"Then what do you propose Ladybug," Wayzz inquired.

"Until Miss Translate shows her face again, there isn't much we're going to be able to do. Our main issue is going to be handling this," she motioned to the model.

"Easy as pie," Alya smirked. "I can make announcement on the Ladyblog about the effects of the Akuma and you can escort Adrien home explaining that he was caught in the blast."

"Dude, his dad is going to have our butts though. We're going to be so banned from seeing our dude ever again," Nino groaned. Marinette's face paled and Alya elbowed him in the side. He yelped, rubbing the spot before seeing the other girl's face, quickly stuttering out, "b-but Nathalie seems pretty cool. She might be willing to help us field Mr. Agreste until everything gets sorted. Say Adrien is sick or something." Alya raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Will she do that?"

He started to open his mouth, remembered that whatever he was about to say wouldn't make any sense, so he was resigned to nod his head. Marinette bit her lip. Darn, he was so cute. Alya nodded in return. "Well, there you go. We have a plan."

"For right now. Doesn't help with the akuma," Plagg pointed out, bored. Trixx giggled and flew around Alya's face.

"Tikki's kit will come up with something," she cheered, "but I vote we play a trick on her." Alya grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back.

"Oh no. We're not playing anymore of your tricks on anyone. You nearly got me grounded with that flour stunt you pulled on my mom." Trixx snickered again. Alya started to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the door. The kwamis all flew out of sight immediately. It opened and up walked Sabinea tray loaded with sweets and drinks. She smiled at the four of them.

"Hi Mom," Marinette chirped. She skipped over to help grab the tray which the older woman offered with no complaint.

"Welcome back Marinette. Is everything alright? It's not like you to not say anything when coming home…."

"I… uh…." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry Mom. I kind of forgot since we wanted to get started on this project right away."

"That's alright sweetheart. Your father and I are going to start closing up the bakery soon. Would any of you like to stay for dinner?"

"No thanks Mrs. Cheng," Alya smiled, "My mom's making dinner tonight so I'll be heading home soon."

"I've got a prior engagement too," Nino nodded. She nodded, turning to stare at Adrien.

"And you sweetie?" All of their faces fell. Adrien's went pale. Suddenly, he started coughing like crazy and the others jumped up in surprise. Sabine entered the room. Her motherly instincts kicked in; she placed her hand on his forehead and frowned. "You should go home sweetheart. You feel a bit warm to me. Would you like me to call your driver?" He shook his head. Marinette stood then.

"I'll walk him home. It's my fault he's here anyway," Marinette volunteered. She hesitated. However, after a few minutes of debate with herself, she nodded her agreeance.

"Alright but straight there and back. There's still an akuma on the loose after all." She turned to leave. "I'll let your father know what's going on. Be safe sweetie." The others said good-bye to her and after she left, the kwamis came out, returning to their holders.

"Guess that's our cue dudes. Good save there dude," he high-fived the silent kid. He smirked and returned it. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"He's already got enough of an ego; you probably just made it worse," she teased. Adrien narrowed his eyes at her. She giggled. "I love you too kitty."

"Ugh, can we go please? I don't want to see them flirting all the time," Plagg groaned, flying into Adrien's shirt pocket. Tikki giggled.

"You're going to have to get used to it Plagg."

He grumbled something out like "Yeah, yeah." The others chuckled, quickly grabbed at the sweets that were provided to them, and left out together, only parting ways outside the bakery where Alya and Nino confirmed that they would be taking patrol tonight to watch for the akuma. Marinette nodded. She thanked them and waved the two off as they headed in the opposite direction. The walk with Adrien was silent. It seemed to take for ever and no time at all but every step helped in the return of her guilt. She bit her lip, refusing to look over at him. It was hard especially since it seemed that in the last few months alone she was getting more careless and clumsy, resulting in either herself or Chat into some kind of trouble. She would never forget Nightmare. Not as long as she lived.

Her boyfriend squeezed her hand, pulling her out of her thoughts. A soft smile crossed his face. She returned it weakly. As they approached the Agreste manor, her footsteps slowed until she finally came to stop, in turn, stopping Adrien. He eyed her quizzically. She took a deep breath. "Adrien… I'm sorry." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Shorts tart whale?" It was her turn to eye him.

"I'm guessing you asked me for what and I guess you have your answer. It's the same as earlier," she replied. Adrien's smile didn't dim as he pulled her towards him, leaning her head against his chest as he hugged her. Marinette sniffled, burying her face in the same location. She squeezed the back of his shirt.

She was not going to cry right now gosh darn it.

There was a soft kiss planted on the top of her head multiple times. Then it moved down, to her left ear, and despite her not wanting to raise her head and show him her red flushed cheeks and tear dotted eyes, eventually on her forehead, both cheeks, her nose, lower to her jawline. Her grip tightened on him. He leaned back enough to show her his smile. Her eyes wandered across his face. Not one inch of his being blamed her for the situation. All she could see was the love and respect he had for her and she knew, without a doubt, that if his words weren't scrambled, he would probably be telling her, "There's nothing to be sorry for. We're a team. Besides, I know you'll fix this because you are absolutely pawesome."

She didn't know if she wanted to slap him or giggle for a pun he didn't even make.

Marinette rolled her eyes and poked his nose instead. His smirk only grew wider. "I hate sometimes hate how well I know what you're thinking. I'm fine, I promise. I still wanted to apologize for it anyway." He nodded, leaning back down to catch her lips in a kiss. She returned it with a sigh, lacing her fingers briefly into his hair; his arms snaked their way around her waist to pull her up a bit and deepen it. When they broke apart, Marinette had no desire to cry anymore. Instead, she smiled just as brightly as he did. Clearing her throat, she stated, "Well, let's get you in. I've got some explaining to do to Nathalie."

He nodded and took her hand, squeezing it, as he had the gate opened and eventually, the front door.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: Have a two chapter update today! I finally got a moment to breath so I hope everyone enjoys.**

Nathalie wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Standing in front of her was her ward and his, what she assumed, girlfriend, whose head was ducked, clearly red, and her outline shaking from the attempt to keep herself from crying. Clearly she felt guilty. The older woman sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment and pushed her glasses back up on her face, returning to her poise as the perfect secretary. Sometimes she had a thousand questions for herself. One being why she had agreed to this job in the first place.

"I understand the situation. Thank-you for trying to protect Adrien," she eventually replied. The young girl's head popped up and as she had surmised, her face looked painful as she had attempted to hold back some tears. "I'll help you hide this from your father Adrien but you are going to have to stay in your room for a while. Until, at least, Ladybug and Chat Noir can fix this." The blonde nodded. His hand gently reached out to grab her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze; she was amazed at the look of softness that came from his eyes and immediately, her mind shot back to when Gabriel had that same look for his mother; a much happier time to say the least. Before the accident...

She shook her head to rid the thought. Adrien didn't need to see her cry.

Nathalie cleared her throat, "Head up to your room soon. I'll see if your father is in. He was supposed to have a meeting at the company headquarters earlier but I saw his car and driver here." She turned on her heels to head upstairs. Before she disappeared though, her eyes shot back quickly to see the young woman, if she remembered right from the Derby competition and from subsequent interactions, Marinette was now smiling as Adrien peppered her face with gentle kisses, their only form of communication right now.

Apparently, it was rather effective for the two of them.

A soft smile crossed her lips and she allowed them the privacy they deserved.

Adrien didn't appear at school the following day or even the day after.

Marinette landed in her seat with a heavy sigh, slinging her back bag down to the ground. Gently of course. Tikki didn't deserved to be jostled violently because she was upset. Last night, she'd stayed up rather late, waiting, and hoping, that Miss Translate would return and Adrien would be returned to normal and Chat Noir would be back at her side to defend Paris. Alya and Nino eyed her concerned. The dark skinned girl rubbed her friend's back.

"We'll fix it," she assured her. "As soon as we get a lock on where Miss Translate is, we'll be sure to get it fixed."

"I know," Marinette weakly smiled at her. "I know but it doesn't mean I can't worry about it."

"Totally dude. Not getting a texted cat pun is kind of weird." Alya raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend and he shrugged. "Dude likes sending them. His coping mech or whatever." He pulled out his phone, showing them the screen, only confirming that Miss Translate's power was dangerous; it even had affected the written word. Marinette paled.

"You two didn't see anything on patrol?"

"Not hide nor hair," Alya confirmed. She sat back in her seat, placing her hand on her chin.

"Which is odd. Usually if an akuma has failed in the past but came back, it's been within a day of themselves. Two days have past. Nothing."

"Has it really been two days?"

"There's not much to go on." She lowered her voice, eyes shooting back at Ivan, "The only ones that Ladybug ever really failed to cleanse were Stoneheart..." Pause. "... and Nightmare."

Marinette swallowed and reached up to rub one of her earrings. The experience with Nightmare had left her hesitant and scared; literally living a nightmare of her own, occasionally waking in the middle of the night, crying and screaming until her parents arrived, hugging and soothing her until she calmed enough to attempt to sleep again. None of them knew. She didn't let it show. After all, Ladybug was the leader. She had to be strong and to show the two new heroes that what they were doing was scary... well, she trusted her friends' intuitions and intelligence and knew that they knew. She just didn't want to appear weak. She dropped her hand.

"Then we're going to up our patrol schedule," she finally stated. "Every night. All three of us until she's caught and purified." Nino nodded but Alya hesitated.

"What about your contest dresses Mari? And you still have your dinner dress to make!" She shrugged.

"I'll be alright. I've handled all-nighters before."

Alya crossed her arms. Nino blinked and then narrowed his eyes at her. Neither of them took their "are you serious" glares off of her face; it made her squirm in her seat.

"Dude, we get it. We're worried about Adrien too but..."

"But you are not going to work yourself to death for his sake," Alya concluded. "You will get your rest. You will be a functioning human being. I will take Tikki and tie you to your bed if you don't!"

Marinette started to argue but was cut off, "Look dude. Alya and I have a tiny bit less on our plates right now. We can run patrols for a little longer. Trust us, okay?" She hesitated. Looking between their faces, she saw the same raw concern for Adrien that she had; looking closer even revealed slight bags under both of their eyes and she blinked at the realization. She eventually sighed.

"Alright but you two have to promise to not push it yourselves and call me as soon as you find anything- no matter the time of day." The two of them smiled at her. Alya grabbed her in a tight hug while Nino shot two thumbs up.

"You know we will," she cheered. "After all, Paris wouldn't be saved without the help of Ladybug."

"Well, this time, it looks like Emerald Shield and Lady Fox are going to get the honor of that," she winked, turning in her seat to stare up front as Ms. Bustier began on the next story from their book.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes: I can't promise that this'll happen again for a while especially with the end of school coming up fast. I hope everyone enjoys either way!**

Adrien was so bored!

He laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling even though the sun was shining and realistically speaking, he should have been at school by now. Plagg was somewhere nearby, sleeping peacefully, and fully enjoying the time off even if his chosen didn't appreciate it. He couldn't transform so there went his escape. He was playing sick so there went everything else. Litter-ally. No shoots, no fencing, no Chinese, no school. Nothing. Even Marinette was out of his reach right now, busy running around Paris searching for Miss Translate for his sake.

He sighed at the thought. His skin crawled. Emerald Shield and Lady Fox would do their very best to protect her, he knew, but it didn't help his nerves; he was Chat Noir. He was supposed to have her back. The thought of him not being there made him really sick with worry. He sighed again.

"Awww is the love sick boy missing his sweetheart," Plagg teased. Adrien merely turned his head to face him, unsure what expression to give. The cat kwami stopped in his tracks. Usually he would get a glare or a tease back but this time, all he got was an emotionless face. This was completely out of character.

Now he was worried too.

Plagg floated down to sit on Adrien's chest, crossing his arms and legs. His tail switched back and forth as he considered the situation. Finally, he started, "Listen kid, you've got two options: One, sit here all day and do nothing or two, find something to make yourself useful."

Adrien raised an eyebrow at him. He floated closer to the kids head.

"Sitting here moping isn't doing you any good. I know you can't speak right now but finding something to do would be better than doing this. I trust Ladybug and Tikki. Both of them are strong and they'll get this resolved soon but until then, worrying and panicking and doing nothing isn't helping either." He smirked mischievously. "Say, why don't we go check your father's safe again? Nobody's in the house today and it would be a good time to take a closer look at the contents. I know you've been wanting to for a while now. You even said so in your sleep not too long ago."

That did it. The boy's face turned red and he lunged for the cat who merely flew out of his reach. Adrien glared up at him. He giggled and took off, phasing through the door. He muttered a curse under his breath and took off after him, slowing down every now and then to ensure that no one was in fact there and watching him enter his father's office without permission. He shut the door quietly and leaned against it with a sigh. There was humming coming from the safe. He approached it and just before he was able to touch it, it swung open, Plagg reappearing and looking as smug as he pleased. He rubbed his claws on his chest. "Good thing one of my previous holders was a lock pick. This lock is far too simple for a man like your dad." Adrien glared again but approached slowly.

The items were still there since the last time. There was a picture of his mother, the broach, a travel brochure to Tibet, some other odds and ends, but what really caught his eyes, was the old brown book.

When he'd taken it over a year ago, he'd lost it and thought it lost to him and his father forever. He had waited days for his punishment. It never came. He'd asked Plagg to help him out then too, breaking back in, only to find the book replaced, right back where it belonged and no one being the wiser that it had been taken.

He'd shut the door and vowed to never open again.

He was a liar and he knew it. The book's images had burned in the back of his mind- especially the ones concerning what looked like an ancient version of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Hawkmoth. Clearly this book had something to do with the Miraculous but when he'd asked, Plagg only shrugged and said that Tikki would probably know more than him; asking her had only led to another "I'm not sure. It was written after we had returned to the miraculous until our next holder appeared." Now was his chance to really get a good look at them.

Pulling the book out, he set it on his father's desk. Page after page was filled with ancient script but the images were rather detailed. There was a Ladybug with her yo-yo. Chat and his staff. Hawkmoth and his cane. Volpina and her flute. Emerald and his shield. Next to each was also a picture of their miraculous: earrings, rings, pin, necklace, and bracelet. He made sure to note the information appropriately for the others when he returned to the ability to speak. He flipped a few more pages and paused. After Emerald, there was a yellow clad hero, a spinning top serving as her weapon, and a bee designed comb acting as her miraculous. He studied her. She was in a dynamic pose like the others, throwing her weapon out as if she were in combat, and her face was twisted in determination. She had long hair that was braided down and touched to just mid-thigh.

He couldn't read the secret script but he wondered who she was.

Adrien flipped the page and his heart nearly stopped. There was yet another hero on this page. They were clad all in blue and it was impossible to tell what gender they were from the outfit. It was tight fitting but had what looked like tail feathers coming off of the end that draped across the ground. Only, they were fanned out in the picture as this holder was jumping, throwing what looked like a hand fan off of the page. He mused that there must have been a special ability in them to turn them lethal, almost like Cataclysm did with his hand. He really stopped when he spied the miraculous for this hero. He jerked his head up, staring at the safe. Plagg, who had been oddly silent, smiled knowingly. The kid finally figured it out.

He raced back, flinging the door open, reaching up and slowly taking the pin from its perch. At first glance, it looked cool to the touch, but he could feel a bit of heat radiating off of the metal, like it was alive.

It felt the same as his ring.

Turning to Plagg, he raised an eyebrow, unable to ask his question. The kwami nodded. "Yeah, that's a miraculous. Duusu is the kwami for it. I don't know how or why your old man has it, but he does. I didn't realize it until the second time we opened that safe. I snuck back in not too long after that to confirm it." Adrien paused. He set the miraculous back on the shelf, turned, grabbed the book and replaced it as well. Plagg flew down close to his face. "Duuuuuude what are you doing? You're just going to leave that valuable information in the hands of your dad?" Adrien glared and nodded. Plagg sighed. "Fair enough but what are we going to do? It's not like you just ask your dad what in the world he's doing with a miraculous and book without exposing yourself as Chat Noir." That made him pause even more.

Before he could formulate a plan, the door gave a soft click. His face fell. Nathalie was here! He panicked, looking around for some kind of excuse as to why he was in his father's office, when suddenly, he remembered he was supposed to be "sick." Quickly, he opened his shirt for Plagg who flew in without complaint, and sat in the chair.

He placed his head on the table, closing his eyes.

All he could do was pray that whoever it was thought that he had just wandered from his room in a sick delusion or something.

It seemed to take an eternity for the door to finally open. There was no sound for a moment. He nearly jumped in surprise when a hand, cold and large, touched his forehead and stayed there for a few moments. Eventually it disappeared and the person who owned it, retreated quickly to the door. He cracked an eye to see who it was. He really nearly did jump out of his skin as he realized that his father, Gabriel Agreste, was the one who had found him.

He nearly groaned but swallowed it down.

What had been nervousness suddenly changed to straight fear when he heard his father's very distinctive voice call out, "Gorilla, cat Harold quiz!"

Another person appeared. There was no conversing after that but Adrien guessed that there didn't need to be as he was soon scooped up and taken out of the room. He barely cracked his eyes again to find that he was now being carried bridal style back to his room by his rather large and muscular bodyguard. Nathalie was at the bottom of the staircase. She looked between

Adrien and the office in a panic. She chose to follow them upstairs.

The Gorilla laid him down gently in his bed. Nathalie took over, tucking him in. When the job was done, they turned to leave and she made a very pointed fact of saying loudly, "Thank-you for your help. He must have wandered down in his illness. I hope he stays in bed for the rest of the day until the doctor can get here."

His door shut with a click.

Adrien sat up. Plagg flew out of his shirt and sighed as he faced the door. "Boy, that sure was a close one," he mused, turning to face his partner. He leaned his head quizzically. "Uh... what's got you looking all concerned?"

The boy had moved to the edge of his bed, sitting so that his feet touched the ground, and he leaned into his hands, elbows on his knees. His brow was tightened. The normally clear green of his eyes was hazy as he was deep in thought. There was no way he was going to convey everything to Plagg so he was left there in the metaphorical space of his mind.

The book.

The broach.

The odd behavior of his father after the Simon Says incident.

Now the language.

Nathalie had said the other day that his father had been at a meeting at the _Agreste_ headquarters. That would have put him at the office building around the time that Miss Translate had attacked; so why then was he talking all scrambled? There shouldn't be any excuse considering the headquarter offices were on the other side of Paris, in the exact OPPOSITE direction from where the battle had taken place. Even if had been there, Emerald and Fox had cleared the area first before assisting with the akuma. They'd even done well to keep her contained to a certain area so they wouldn't have to worry about civilians getting hit with the blast.

In fact, the only person he'd seen get hit was himself...

He paused, his mind flashing back to the day of the fight. No. Not just him.

The blast had reflected.

Right back at Miss Translate.

What if doing that meant that... maybe it was stretching but what if Hawkmoth was hit too? He didn't know how but he was grasping at straws really and his mind was racing alongside his heart.

As soon as he got his words back, he had a lot of serious questions to pose to his friends.

He just hoped to goodness that his line of thinking was wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hi everyone!** **Listen, I am so sorry for being MIA. I just got so busy with the end of the school year happening that I didn't have time to write. I've been getting up most days at like four and going to work and coming home super late at night. I promise I haven't forgotten anything (my one shot requests, I'm looking at you all!). I'm updating chapters and writing like a mad woman. I'm going to get caught up as soon as possible. Heads up though, I go to a JROTC camp next week so updates won't be a thing then. I'll be free for about a month after that though.** **Enjoy!**

 _MLMLMLMLML_

Paris was a magical thing. Despite having lived there for over a year, Alya found that the sight at night made her feel breathless and awed. Something about the mask though made it even more so. Maybe it was the air rushing over her exposed skin. Maybe it was the way her hair traveled in waves behind her. Maybe it was the thrill of jumping from roof to roof. Maybe it was getting the chance to do all of this as she searched for Miss Translate. Lady Fox stopped eventually on one of the slanted roofs, panting heavily, her warm colored eyes searching the horizon again, only catching sight of three different figures approaching her. All were her clones.

As they gathered around, each shook her head. No luck. Miss Translate was nowhere to be found.

Lady Fox sighed, "Thanks ladies," and waved a hand, causing the three illusions to disappear into nothing. She turned towards the tower. Getting there only took a few seconds and as she landed on one of the cross beams, she found that she wasn't the first there.

Standing about the middle was Emerald. He had his arms crossed, the usually glowing green shield put away, and his brow was furrowed heavily. There was no need for words. His search had been just as useless as hers had been but her chest tightened; Adrien was his best friend, of course out of the two of them, he was hurting the most with worry. She secured her flute to her back and walked up to him. He didn't move to acknowledge her footsteps. He still didn't move as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head onto his back. Eventually he did. He sighed, resting his hands over the tops of hers, anger churning his stomach.

"Any luck," he asked. Lady Fox leaned her head back.

"No." He swore, tearing from her grip and walking up to the cross beam. He clenched his fist and without warning, he punched the metal, a soft ringing echoing out from the spot. She watched. Now it was her turn for her brow to furrow. When he calmed, he turned to speak to her. "We've got to find her Fox. Adrien's been out of school for three days. He's missing modeling gigs. We're not going to be able to keep faking an illness."

"We'll find her," she assured, moving closer. She stared up at him now. In one year, Nino had grown quite a bit. When they'd first met, he stood roughly a few inches above her but now, he nearly towered over her. A breeze blew between them but it did nothing to cool the heat radiating off either one of them; she swallowed hard and her face flushed a bit.

Marinette hadn't lied to her.

The Eiffel Tower was certainly the most romantic place in all of Paris.

Emerald sighed again. He reached up gently to cup the side of her face, running his thumb back and forth over her cheek. She closed her eyes happily. "I'm worried Al," he admitted.

"I know babe," she assured. "But we're going to find her. Hawkmoth can't keep her hidden forever. Especially if she wants to get the creation and destruction miraculous."

"True but what if her hiding is her way of getting them? If we can't purify her akuma then Adrien- Chat- is left without the ability to transform. What if she ends up taking all of us out one by one?"

"Master Fu wouldn't let that happen. You know that."

"Fox…."

"Hey, we wouldn't be heroes if we couldn't handle something like this. We are all going to be alright. I promise. As your partner and girlfriend."

He kissed the top of her head. "Thanks." He paused. Sheepishly, he glanced around, his face turning a bit bright at whatever was on his mind; he pondered briefly on how to ask her a silly, simple question. Eventually he cleared his throat, "Fox, do you want to... Do you want to hang out here for a bit? I don't want to go home just yet especially feeling like this." She smiled at him, grabbing a hand to lead him over to the joining spot of the two cross beams. They sat with their backs to it, her head leaning on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, which smelled of oranges and flowers and wildness. They fell silent. Wind rushed over them, whistling in the night as the cloudy sky allowed some stars to blink down at them; she made a note to remind herself to tell Mari to bring an umbrella to school in the morning since the weather looked as if it would turn at any moment. "Adrien wasn't lying," he noted. Fox turned her head enough to eye him, a twinkle in his eyes, as he finished with, "The Tower really is the most romantic spot in all of Paris." She rolled her own.

"Funny thing. Marinette told me the same thing."

"Think they were trying to get something to happen?"

"Yeah, us cuddling on the Tower." They both chuckled. "Mission achieved."

"Hmmm maybe not just that." She raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

He shifted just enough so that they were now facing each other even more. A slow smile came across his lips. "Think about our two friends. There's really only one reason they'd both mention how romantic the Tower is." Her smile started to mimic his. She leaned in closer until their noses touched and their breaths mingled in the space between them.  
"Then we shouldn't disappoint them," she breathed.

He closed the distance. Their lips touched gently together, both of them eventually shifting so that they could be more comfortable as they let their hands run over each other. Eventually they stopped, hers cupping the back of his head, and his on either side of her face. They savored the brief moment. They didn't rush. Together, they slowly opened their lips, allowing, and asking for exploration of each other, their tongues teasing the lines before they pulled apart to breathe properly. Emerald smiled down at her. Leaning his head down on hers, he panted, "I love you."

She kissed his nose. "I love you too. Shall we head home?" She stood, holding out a hand for him. He took it and stood, still facing her. "Don't worry about Marinette. I'll stop by on my way home and let her know." He kissed her cheek.

"Thanks babe. Be safe going home. See you tomorrow."

"Night," she whispered. Emerald took off in the opposite direction and she watched him go for a second before she too took off, heading to the Dupain-Cheng bakery rooftop balcony.

 _MLMLMLMLML_

Marinette let a soft growl escape from her lips.

Lady Fox frowned at her. She was worried about her friend. Of course she was. Of course Marinette was worried too; it was her boyfriend and long-term superhero partner who currently was incapacitated in one of the worst ways possible. The half-Asian ran a hand through her wet hair. She'd just come from the shower when Alya had knocked on the balcony entrance. Marinette stood over her desk where a map of Paris laid open and, just as she had the last several nights, she made a couple of little red x's on the places they'd already checked.

Half of Paris was already marked.

She sat her marker down as both the hero and her own kwami stared up at her with concern. She sighed before turning to them both. "Thanks Fox. I know you and Emerald did everything you could." She stood from the lounge and went to hug the girl. Marinette sniffled. "Sorry."

"Mari, you've got nothing to worry about. Adrien's going to be alright."

"It's not that," she whispered. "What if I keep messing up? Alya… I've been so careless and everyone's suffering because of it."

"Nonsense," the hero chided, holding her friend out at arm's length, "I won't let you believe that Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Adrien knew what he was doing. You knew what you were doing. Promise." She winked. "Besides, you wouldn't be Marinette without a mistake every now and then. Just like I wouldn't be Alya without the Ladyblog or Nino without his music or Adrien without his modeling."

Marinette swatted her shoulder. "Jerk. Why do you guys get your hobbies and I get being clumsy?"

"Because I love you and I need you to smile as you seeth at me." A smile broke out on the crying girl's face as she wiped away her tears. Tikki sighed happily. Something caught her attention and she quickly went to the door to Mari's room as the two girls continued to talk; a quick look revealed that her mother was coming up and a hastened warning, a jump and a bye, and a quick dive into bed, helped to make their cover for the night, and into the morning.

 _MLMLMLMLML_

Maria panted.

Everything hurt.

Hawkmoth wasn't there.

She couldn't hear him.

She'd tried.

A shock of purple electrified her body and she gasped, collapsing on a nearby wall. A faint butterfly mask appeared on her face.

God she was pathetic.

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

A scream caught in her throat.

When the electricity died, she waited a second before pushing up off the wall.

She staggered.

With a soft whimper, she made her way down the dark streets of Paris and into the blooming darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes:** **Hey all! I'm finally on summer break so I'm trying my best to update everything. One-shots, I promise, I'll be working you all into my busy schedule as well. I will get your stories , some credits are due in this story. The story of "The Disowned Princess" is from** ** _The Chinese Fairy Book_** **edited by Dr. R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (published by Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1921). You can check it out at your local library or at the following websites: /collections/the-chinese-fairy-book-1921/ or Asian_folktales/Chinese_Folktale_ #set_visible. I tried researching the history of this story but wasn't able to find much. I still like it even if it might not be 100% accurate. It's one of the few that I liked from the book. I also tried to make sure the Spanish was accurate but if it's not, if someone better at speaking Spanish than I would care to correct me, please let me know! I wanted it to read something along the lines of "What has happened to you?" or "What has happened?" Anyway, enjoy!**

Morning dawned again but Marinette didn't feel her usual cheer; her hair was disheveled, her neck sore, and her mood just generally sour. She stretched. Looking over, she discovered it was four, a time way earlier than she normally awoke at but the stress of losing an akuma was getting to her and she knew it. Tikki slept peacefully on her pillow. A soft smile crossed her face as she watched her for a few minutes. Deciding that sitting there wasn't doing her any good, she climbed down her stairs, grabbed her shower things, and went to clean up for the day. Water never felt so good. A few minutes under the spray helped to clear her head and work the tension out of her body. Coming out, she dried her hair and went to her desk where she turned on the single lamp which casted a soft glow around the immediate area. It was covered in papers. Most were maps and lists of places they've already looked. She hesitated as she reached for them but she pushed them out of the way in favor of pulling her sketchbook and drawing supplies to her.

She stared at the blank page she'd open to. Adrien's situation had made it nearly impossible for her to work on her portfolio for the Agreste Industries contest. She had so much to do. Her thoughts circled and circled and circled but came up with nothing to no avail. A soft knock came from her door. She turned as it opened, revealing the concerned looking face of her mother. Her eyes wandered for a second before landing on her daughter who jumped up in surprise. "Maman! What are you doing up?"

The older woman smiled. She entered the room with two cups of tea that were raising steam. "I know they're hot and summer's almost here but I think it's cold enough outside to enjoy them."

Marinette smiled and took a cup gratefully. Her mother sat on the chaise lounge and patted the space next to her which her daughter took without question. They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping the tea. Marinette had to admit that she was starting to feel a little bit better. Finally, Sabine asked, "Mari, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Maman," she mumbled. The older woman eyed her.

"Marinette, don't lie to me. I've been around long enough to know when something isn't right. Especially with my daughter." The girl flinched. Sabine sat her cup down and took Marinette's free hand, holding it gently as she brushed some stray hair out of her daughter's face; her face was warm and loving but her eyes were filled with concern. Of course the last couple of nights hadn't escaped her. She'd seen how tired her daughter was and how worried she appeared to be despite how she tried to be her usual, peppy self. "You can talk to me Mari. Maybe I can help you more than you think."

The girl blinked before sighing, "I'm just… It's my fault Adrien's sick." Now it was Sabine's turn to blink. A slow soft smile crossed her face.

"It's not your fault Mari…."

"But it is Maman," she whispered, "It was my fault we were out and I wasn't paying attention when he got splashed. He did it to keep me from getting wet."

The other's had agreed that until Adrien was healed, the lie was that he had been splashed with water protecting Marinette. Because it had been cold out, he had gotten sick rather quickly. They told everyone who had a connection with Adrien the lie just to make it stick for now. Even Nathalie had been alright with it and used it to basically keep Gabriel at a distance… for now.

Sabine continued to smile. "Adrien will get better Marinette. I have no doubt about that. You just have to trust him and forgive yourself." She paused long enough to think, "Do you remember when you were younger and I told you the story of 'The Disowned Princess'?" Mari shook her head. She remembered her mother telling her a lot of old stories when she was younger, a great deal of them were passed down from generations of Chengs, but most were just general fairy tales and legends. She'd always had a preference for the ones about princess who were both strong and beautiful, kind and courageous. Sabine bushed another strand of hair out of her face.

"A long time ago," she started, "a young man failed his exams and was thus made to return to his family. On his way, he ran across a beautiful young woman who was herding sheep but these were not ordinary sheep; they were thunder sheep, said to control the weather. The young man was moved by the sadness in her face and stopped to talk to her, 'Young maiden, why are you so sad?'

'Sir, I have been disowned by my husband. He treated me horribly and then threw me out to tend these sheep and my step-parents would not acknowledge his treatment; thus I am left to be a herder of sheep even though I am the youngest daughter of the Dragon King of the Dungting Sea! I am in need of my father's help, and I have a letter for him, but I cannot send it.'

The young man thought for a moment. 'I am on my way home. I pass by the Dungting sea. Why don't I deliver the letter for you?'

The princess cried, 'Would you? I know it some ride away….'

'I will do it,' he insisted. 'I cannot stand to see a young lady hurting as you. You do not deserve this.' She smiled brightly, pulling the letter from her shirt, handing it to him, and before he rode away, she explained how to get the attention of the servant who would take him to see her father. She bowed as he rode away.

It was the first time in months that she felt any kind of hope.

A month passed. The young man eventually ended up at the Dungting sea and he did as the young princess instructed: he took his belt and knocked it three times on a nearby tree and the servant came from the water.

'What is it you want mortal,' he demanded.

'I come to see the Dragon King. I have a letter from his daughter who has fallen on dark times,' he explained. The servant did not hesitate. He cleared the water and led the way for the young man to meet the king but the king was busy and in a meeting so he had to wait a bit. However, it didn't take too long. The king arrived and the young man explained everything but it was only after he read the letter did he cry, 'It is my fault! I should have treated my daughter better!'

Then the women cried and he ordered them quiet before his brother was angered. His brother was a powerful being with a temper and should he hear of the problems, he would not have hesitated to destroy his daughter's ex-family. But it was too late! The brother of the king heard and immediately set out to destroy the family, eating the ex-husband and flooding the lands of the family, returning home with his niece in tow. The young man was still there at the request of the king; everyone rejoiced when they walked in and the brother promised to never do it again. The king and his family threw an elaborate feast for the young man. The uncle eventually asked if he would marry his niece but the young man was offended by the question and refused; he insisted that he needed to leave and return home even though he knew he would never see the young woman or her family again.

The family understood. Everyone bade him farewell with gifts of jewels and other riches. The king even walked him to the edge of the kingdom! The young man traveled and by the time he got home, he was rich from the things he'd sold. He decided to marry once there. There was a widow with a daughter at the edge of his village and he decided to take the daughter as his bride and treat her mother generously in her old age.

However, the young man noticed that the daughter looked a lot like the Dragon princess. He had his suspicions but said nothing, still marrying the girl. After some time, she admitted that she was the same princess and asked if he was mad at her for tricking him; she knew his good spirit and wished to be his wife. He could not be angry with her, he too admitted, and they spent several years happily together before they finally returned to the kingdom of Dragons to live together happily for the next ten thousand years."

Sabine patted her daughter's hand, "I tell you this story again Marinette because you are like the Princess. Like her, I see the light fading from your eyes and the stress getting to you but…."

"But I shouldn't worry because everything will work out right," she smiled. Sabine nodded, kissing her daughter's temple.

"Exactly." Marinette smiled for the first time in several days, taking her mother in a tight hug.

"Thanks Maman," she whispered. "You helped me out more than you think."

"You're welcome." She held her daughter out at arm's length and smiled wider. "Now that I see my Marinette coming through, I think you have your ideas?" She nodded to the desk.

"You bet! I'm going to get to work now." The young girl shot out of the lounge and went back to her desk, drawing like crazy, ideas circulating in her mind as she finally was able to grasp what she was doing. Sabine watched for a moment. She grabbed the two mugs and quietly left the way she'd come in.

 **MLMLMLMLML**

She was close.

She had to be.

The energy shot out around her again.

It was terrifying and painful.

A silent scream stuck in her throat as Maria collapsed to the ground again.

Where was he?

Where was he?

WHERE WAS HE?

Panting, she waited until the pain subsided again.

A shadow crossed in front of her eyes. There was a gasp.

Suddenly, a strong set of hands grabbed her shoulders and she weakly looked up from where she laid. Bleary eyed, she barely made out a familiar shape as her vision started to blacken and a voice called, "¡Maria! ¿Qué pasó? What is wrong?"

A low growl escaped her throat.

A weak hand shout out and grabbed the front of his tailored suit and she pulled him in close. When their faces were close enough, she managed out, "Help… me…."

Her body gave out.

She spiraled into darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: Hahahahahahaha We have an outline now. Updates are about to be a little more regular. Shit's about to hit the fan. Enjoy!**

A sigh escaped her lips again as she stirred her breakfast around in her bowl. Marinette wasn't feeling too hungry. Sure, her mother's story had helped a lot earlier, and she managed to lay back down for about an hour, but she still wasn't feeling herself; the guilt and blame just wouldn't get up and leave just like that. She would be worried about Adrien. After all, his life was on hold until she could find the akuma. Of course her parents couldn't know that. They still eyed her concerned and her guilt grew because now she was getting them worried. Eventually, to ease all of their minds, she plastered on a smile, cleaned her dishes, kissed her mother good-bye, stopped by and did the same for her father in the bakery, before heading off to school and hopefully an easy day.

Her mind was beginning to circle again. The list of things she still had to do was starting to come for her again. It took all of her will power to swallow it down as best as she could.

So distracted was she that she failed to noticed when a hand shot out to grab her arm; Marinette was thrown off balance with a soft gasp as she was pulled around the side of the school building and out of sight of the main staircase. Adrenaline rushed through her system. She started to turn, an arm bracing for a swing, but stopped when she found who was holding her. Adrien was leaning back against the wall, a crooked, Chat-like grin on his face. Plagg sat on his left shoulder looking bored. "I can't believe I'm going to say this," the cat grumbled. He cleared his throat and struggled to get out, "Hello purrincess." Marinette blinked. Tikki was in her purse dying. Plagg grumbled again.

"A-Adrien, Plagg! What are you two doing here? You can't be seen! Everyone thinks you're sick."

"That's what I told him but he was being stubborn," the black god continued. "Something about wanting to see his princess and what not."

"You can understand him?"

"Not really. It's a lot of hit and go."

Adrien smirked though. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist so that she was snuggled up rather closely to him. While she was talking to Plagg, he started kissing her forehead and cheeks. Then her nose. Marinette scrunched it, let loose a little giggle, before finally giving him the attention he wanted by giving him a soft, slow kiss. When they pulled apart, she started playing with the strings of the hoodie he wore, avoiding eye contact as she lightly scolded him, "You, mister, need to be at home until this akuma is situated."

"Bog is wash gamma beard," he whined, "Picture, you race wish train save master lace. We mast yarn Melody."

"What'd he say," she asked Plagg. He shrugged.

"Something about being bored probably. Oh, and wanting to feed his kwami." Adrien glared but Plagg merely returned the look with a gigantic grin. Marinette had to stifle giggle.

"I don't think that's what he said."

"Then it was probably something like "I really miss you." All you have to do is think cheesier than my camembert to get half of what he's saying."

"I'll keep that in mind," she mused, rubbing a finger across his head. Plagg closed his eyes and let out a soft purr, opening his eyes long enough to go, "At least someone appreciates me. Now, excuse me. I'm going to see Tikki since we're here." He flew off into Marinette's purse to cuddle Tikki. She rolled her eyes but returned her attention to Adrien. Looking at him, she found him to be absolutely adorable, wearing a beanie to cover his hair, dark, round sunglasses to conceal his eyes, and a rather large hoodie that made him look a tad bit smaller than he actually was. One would have to look close to recognized fashion model Adrien Agreste under all of the stuff. She swallowed and gripped the front of the hoodie rather tightly.

"I miss you so much," she whispered. "I miss having Chat at my back. I miss seeing you at school but you shouldn't be here Adrien! If you're seen, we'd have a lot of explaining to do. What if your father goes to look for you too? You need to go home now…."

She was silenced when a soft kiss touched her forehead. Adrien pulled back, smiling down at her, stroking the side of her face, his eyes conveying as much hope and love as he could. The good thing about being partners for so long meant that she understood what the expression was, and she sighed.

"I know. I understand but you're going to have to be patient. Lady, Emerald, and I are looking all over the city." She kissed his jaw. "I won't leave you like this. I'll fix this and I promise you, I won't be making the same mistake ever again."

He continued to smile, unable to respond. Instead, he just kissed her, hugging and soothing her by rubbing his hands up and down her back as far as he could reach. Several minutes passed in this fashion until the sounds of voices started to grow louder. Marinette flinched and pushed away, motioning for him to run. "Go Adrien! I'll visit you later tonight, I promise." He kissed her one final time on the nose before waving himself away as Plagg flew back out and onto his shoulder. He grumbled something about having to wait for her that night but she merely smiled at it, only turning around to face the oncoming person when they called out, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

The happiness she'd just had deflated. Coming at her was an angry looking Chloé Bourgeois who was her stomping up to her with Sabrina trailing behind. The blonde stopped short of the black haired girl. They immediately glared at each other. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I demand to know what you have done to Adrien."

"What makes you think I did anything," she snapped. The other girl cocked a hip and raised a hand, counting off details on that appendage.

"One, you're his girlfriend. Two, he disappeared supposedly after you two went on a date. Three, no one's heard from him since then. You are the only person who would supposedly have any contact with him!"

"There are other people Chloé," Marinette rolled her eyes, "Adrien does have a life outside of his home. He has friends like Nino and Alya."

"Why does he need others when he has me for a friend?"

"Maybe that exact reason is why he's friends with others," she mumbled. Chloé glared but didn't respond to the jab. Instead, she poked an accusatory finger at the half-Asian's shoulder.

"You better watch yourself Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Pretty soon, you'll get what's coming to you for getting in Adrien's life and in my way."

Marinette blinked, the threat sounding very much like her but also… not. It set wrong on her mind and she watched as the two girls stalked away. Tikki popped her head out of the purse, eyeing her chosen concerned, "What was that about?"

"I don't know Tikki but I don't like the way she put it." The bell started ringing and Marinette swore. "Oh no! I'm going to be late." She started running. "And I was actually on time today!" The red kwami giggled but fell silent as soon as they hit the first step of the school.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Guess who's been sick and depressed for the last two weeks? Yeah... admittedly not the hardest guessing game ever but eh. I'm so sorry for the absence. This swing-song weather we're having is literally giving me headaches. I hate it but there's not much I can do about it right now. Getting diagnosed takes money I don't have. Anyway, I hope this helps make up for being MIA. Enjoy!**

Maria woke up in a dark room with a start. She could feel the sweat dripping off of her forehead, matting her hair in place, and her body continued to pulse in pain. Wrapping her arms around her middle didn't stop it. A shadow crossed her vision. Looking up, she stared up into the twisted face of her boss as he approached her carrying what looked like a glass of water and medicine.

"Maria, how are you feeling," he soothed. As he came even closer, a growl ripped from her throat. He stopped. "Maria, what is happening to you?"

"Hawkmoth," she managed through gritted teeth, "He… he…."

"Hawkmoth? Oh child! Did you…?"

"I messed up," she cried. "I messed up and now, now everything is falling apart." The air seemed to grow heavier then; the electricity seemed to spark heavier about her being, growing in intensity the angrier she became until a scream tore out of her and she was shrouded in darkness once again. The older man fell backwards. She rose out of the bed, hovering just over it. When the darkness faded, Miss Translate had returned. Her eyes shot open. There was no rational spark in them, only the spark of wildness. "And it's all your fault," she screeched!

He scrambled back. Miss Translate raised a hand to shoot him. He grabbed the nearest item, his brief case, and held it up. The blast hit. The case exploded. She screeched again and readied another blast but he scrambled for the door, managing to throw it open and run into the hall. She followed, watching as he ran for the open elevator. The people inside gasped and tried to shut the door. He yelled for them to hold it. It closed just as he reached it. Looking quick, he saw the staircase next to it, and went to it, slamming the door open and running down the stairs as quickly as he could. She was right behind him! The door blasted off this time and she shot down the middle of the winding staircase. He didn't care if the door he was at was the ground floor or not. He just needed somewhere to hide. Luckily, there was a janitor's closet about midway down the hall; he took the chance, tugging at the door and flinging himself inside. He could hear her taunting, "Come out, come out, come out wherever you are." He crouched lower into the darkness.

After a few tense minutes, he heard a clear screech, of anger or pain it was impossible to tell, but he didn't miss the sound of destruction. When all fell silent, he hesitantly opened the door. He gasped.

Miss Translate was gone. So was the window and wall at the end of the hall.

 **MLMLMLMLML**

Ladybug swung across the Paris skyline. Her mission was of a dual nature: first to check the spots they hadn't checked yet for Miss Translate. With only half of Paris remaining, she was hoping and praying that tonight would be the night. After an hour or so, no such luck, so dejectedly, she flung herself further into the cityline. Her heart dropped. It took a lot to keep the guilt at bay and it got harder the closer she got to the Agreste Mansion. She stopped on the buildings across from it. Looking into the bright, wide windows, she could see clearly into his room. She remembered it in great detail from the time she'd arrived to protect him during the Simon Says and several other incidents; the bed, the couch, the vast walls decorated in various posters and even the tall bookshelves she never got a chance to really examine.

A soft breeze pushed some of her hair in front of her face. She brushed it back. If it wasn't for her promise to visit, she would be highly tempted to turn around and go home.

Instead, she bit her lip.

Ladybug took a deep breath. This was ridiculous. For the last several days, she was acting helpless. Maybe it was the sleepless nights or the constant worrying over Miss Translate but she'd seen Adrien; he was fine outside of not being able to speak. Seeing him tonight was a must. If only to assure herself that, like everyone said, everything was fine. Call it her turning point.

Adrien was inside his room, sitting at his computer, back to the window which was clearly left open for her arrival. She smiled at the thought. Her yo-yo easily reached to the Agreste roof. She pulled it tight and flung herself over with only the softest of hissing noises, her feet easily landed on the window frame and she pulled her weapon back. Plagg, resting next to him, raised an eye but she motioned for him to be quiet. He rolled it and went back to sleep. Adrien, too busy fidgeting in his seat while surfing the Ladyblog, didn't notice her or the motion of his kwami. Admittedly, not giving him a time frame for when she would come visit was probably driving him crazy and that thought, on top of herself coming back to her normal optimism, made her smile grow even wider. Softly she jumped into the room. Tip-toeing with just as much caution, she made her way around the couch and up to right behind his chair. A covered hand helped to stifle the giggle that came from her mouth. He didn't acknowledge it. Ladybug reached up quickly, covering his eyes, leaning down to whisper in his ear, "Guess who?"

He jerked but quickly relaxed. A smile crossed his lips.

"Hmmmm Fledgling?"

Ladybug blinked and looked at Plagg. His tail twitched and he raised his head with rolling eyes as he said, "His father." She laughed but didn't move her hands.

"Nope. Two more guesses."

He pretended to think, "Nepotism?"

"Nathalie," Plagg translated. "Why the heck am I your translator? I don't want to be part of this icky human flirting."

"Good try but you're not there yet kitty. Final guess."

He snapped his fingers as if knowing, "Tortillas! "

Plagg shot him a look. "Seriously kid? You really want me to say that?" Ladybug stared him down.

"What'd he say?"

The cat kwami face-palmed, "Gorilla. He said Gorilla."

Ladybug laughed, pulling her hands away. Adrien turned to smirk at her but she let her bottom lip out a little bit more, pretending to pout as she informed him, "Aww too bad. You didn't get it which means no prize for you." She turned to walk towards the couch when suddenly, a set of strong hands wrapped around her middle, pulling her to the said seating place, and then on top of him with a soft chuckle. He hugged her tight as he kissed the top of her head. Ladybug nuzzled her face into his neck. She kissed the same spot. "Why Adrien Agreste. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were waiting for me this whole time."

"Bell I stub," he mumbled. She raised an eyebrow and looked for Plagg but he was still sleeping over by the computer and definitely was refusing to come and translate in their little flirting game. She kissed his jaw this time.

"I'll assume you said you were." Ladybug rolled a bit so that her arms were now folded on his chest and she could easily rest her chin there. Adrian's face turned pink and Ladybug grinned. She shot him a teasing look before sliding one of her hands out from under her chin to draw lazy circles on his shoulder. He tensed up. Being together after so long felt good; it hadn't been more than a couple of days, but to them, it felt as if years had passed. "It shouldn't be much longer," she assured him. "We're looking all over Paris for Miss Translate and between the three of us, we'll get her soon."

"My pope sigh. Dough try tacks truck sphere."

Using the look on his face as a reference, she smiled and continued to draw circles, "I know. Until you can form the right words, it's better if you stay out of the way for now." He reached up and stopped her hand. He pulled it up a bit, despite the positioning being awkward, to kiss it on the knuckles.

"Burn more," he moaned, "King Tut dot steam try must blanc puppies trip. My rooster to you dough."

"Good because we need it."

"You're getting good at understanding him," Plagg shouted from his resting place, "Means I can stay here next time and enjoy more of my camembert."

Ladybug sat up a bit, "Good try Plagg. You still need to go with him. If anything, you can pretend to be his voice or something."

"I can try." The Kwami smirked. Adrien's face went pale. Plagg cleared his throat as he then performed, what many would consider, the worst Adrien impression ever: "Oh Ladybug, you wonderful person! You're everything I could ever want!" Ladybug laughed. She rolled off of Adrien who shot up off of the couch, anger glaring in his eyes as he launched himself at the kwami. Plagg flew away just as he reached for him.

"Crash toe!"

"Oh Ladybug, how I adore thee," continued Plagg, "everytime I see you, my heart beats wildly, and oh how I wish I could tell you who I am!"

"True puddle mitten!"

She was absolutely no help as Plagg flew around the room with an angry holder behind him. Wrapping her arms around herself, she rocked back and forth on his couch, tears streaming from her eyes as she continued to listen and watch the two of them go at it together.

"Oh Ladybug, did I ever mention that I commissioned someone to draw us together?"

"TREE TOP POST TRUE MOE TROUT BAT!"

That caught her attention. She turned on the couch so that she was looking over the back of it now while kneeling on the cushions. "Really Adrien," she teased. "You commissioned a picture of us together?"

"MOE!" He responded.

"Sure did. I can even show it to you if you'd like!"

"I'd love to see it," she swooned. Adrien's face erupted red and he stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, staring at her. Plagg snickered.

"It's his computer background," Plagg informed her, "Want me to turn it on so you can see it?" Adrien glared. Ladybug smirked and nodded.

"Do it!"

Adrien screeched. Both him and the kwami dove for the device. Plagg went for the power button while he went for the power cord. Just as he went to turn it on, his human pulled the cord from the outlet, making the computer go completely dark with a soft snap. He let out a sigh of relief. Plagg snickered again.

"Darn. Sorry LB. I wasn't fast enough this time."

She smiled, climbing over the couch. "That's alright Plagg. I'm sure I'll see it soon anyway." Walking towards the computer, she first reached for the kwami, petting his head, before turning to smile at her currently-on-the-floor boyfriend, offering him a hand. "Just out of curiosity, what is it?"

Adrien glared again but Plagg shrugged, "You either tell her or I do."

She blinked up at him, waiting. Eventually, he sighed and mumbled out, "Mittens tie wicker chair… dove boo on steve…. hissing…. Mutt bye toddler pit while ivory coo moo chore scurvy mouse jazz waiting!" Her smiled widened. This time, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him as close as she could, staring up at him lovingly.

"Is that so? You know there are easier ways to get a picture of us kissing."

He ducked his head a bit, very aware of where she was going with that statement. "Mist pat crow?"

"Of course silly," she breathed. He finished ducking his head then so that their lips met sweetly; Ladybug responded instantly to the touch, moving her hands from around his waist to his hair. Standing with nothing at her back made things a bit difficult, especially because of the height difference. However, there was a soft bed not too far away and he guided them to it, sitting so that Ladybug could climb onto his lap, their kiss not pausing once. He lovingly squeezed her sides which pulled her even closer to him. He **revealed** in the perfect feeling of her against him and wished that time would stand still just for a second so that they didn't have to let go of each other.

However, breathing was a different story.

When they pulled apart, both of their lips were swollen and red. Ladybug's eyes were half lidded as she smiled down at him, gently stroking his cheek. He turned just enough to kiss that hand. Her heart thudded erratically as he stared up at her rather alluringly from the position he was in and, dear god, no one should be allowed to have that kind of power.

She started to say something when her communicator flashed. They both blinked. Ladybug jumped up immediately and opened it, finding Lady Fox on the other end.

"Fox? What are you doing? It's my patrol night."

"Gurl, worry about patrol nights another time. We found -is that Adrien?"

"Yes…."

"Normally I would feel bad for ruining a moment but we have bigger fish to fry." There was an explosion in the background. Ladybug jerked as she saw Emerald jumped backwards, shield up, as he deflected a blast. He sent it flying when he got the chance. Lady Fox swore. "Look, just get here. Miss Translate's back. We're at the Trocadéro." She hung up without a good-bye.

"I have to go," she reported. Adrien stood and nodded. She smirked. Pushing a finger into his shoulder, she raised an eyebrow, " _I_ have to go. Not we have to go. You can't transform kitty. I need you to be safe." She stood on tip-toe, giving him one final kiss. "We'll get her this time. She won't get away."

"My pope chew mill." He kissed her forehead quickly, "Musty primrose tea tomorrow eat safe bacon hair."

"I promise." She gave him a salute with a playful wink, "Gotta go. There's an akuma to stop. Bug out." Throwing her yo-yo out the window she'd come in, it caught on one of the buildings across the way, and a sharp tug had her flying across the skyline. Adrien watched her disappear before turning back. Plagg hovered nearby. He rolled his eyes.

"Didn't she tell you to sit still?"

"Tram stud pat muffin beam will man whine yelp kelp."

"Well kid, forget it. I'm not letting you out this room."

"Drag, maws pout! !" He eyed his partner.

"What are you doing?"

"Brag, pals spout!"

He sighed, "It's going to be a long night isn't it?" Plagg flew over to the computer desk, sat down, and sighed, waiting for whatever was going to happen, to happen.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Sorry-not-sorry for the cliffhanger! Enjoy!**

Ladybug landed next to Lady Fox behind a parked car. Blasts of wild energy seemed to come from every angle, rocking the car. It wasn't enough to lift it, yet, but it very clearly was enough to make the girls grunt as it smacked into their backs.

"Something's wrong," Fox grunted as yet another blast hit the car into her back.

Ladybug grunted too, "What?"

"Look at the akuma." Carefully, Ladybug raised her head above the car to see what in the world her partner was talking about. he akuma was going crazy. Purple, electric energy seeped from her every pore. She wasn't talking either, she was screaming, a near banshee like wail that never changed in volume. Then it happened.

Miss Translate didn't get any calmer. In fact, she got louder as the very edges of her being blurred and twisted; it almost looked like an old computer or TV glitch where the image just wouldn't stay right. Her screams increased in volume each second it happened. Clearly, she was in a lot of pain. Then it stopped for no reason. Ladybug watched in shock as she fell to the ground, panting, the black energy of the akuma seeping from her pores until a young woman with medium colored brown skin, revealed herself as the one who was akumatized. The peace seemed to last for only a few seconds. Suddenly the black rushed back, taking her over once more. The akuma with crazy lettering on her suit returned. It was more scrambled and they flew in dizzying circles; it appeared she was wilder and more out of control than she had been before. She almost seemed possessed. Her body moved less like a human's and more like a puppet on strings. Her eyes were black voids, but one could still sense her watching them. The blasts came much faster. There were far more of them. Ladybug dropped down back down behind the car, hunkering down real quick next to Fox who did the same.

"You're right. We have to stop her quick," Ladybug noted. Fox's reply was drowned out by yet another scream- this time Emerald's - as he fought to get their attention. Their faces fell when they noticed a shadow over them. She'd seen Ladybug stick her head up.

Miss Translate hovered over them. Her arm was raised, a blast ready to go. Throwing her head back, she screamed again, letting the it go.

Fox and Ladybug scattered. The orange hero rolled right while the red went left and both girls just barely missed the car exploding and being hit by the attack that would have made this a lot more difficult. Ladybug spun her yo-yo, deflecting the projectiles, running to find cover with Fox and Emerald so they could at least discuss some kind of plan. She jumped to a roof, hoping to use some of the skyline architecture as a shield. The blasts continued to ricochet down the street.

Fox and Emerald made their way around to her. They all hunkered down behind a raised ledge. "What are we going to do," Emerald asked. "We can't get close enough to even try to get the akuma out of her pager."

"She's blasting too wildly for me to use my ability. She'll destroy any illusion I send at her."

"I could try trapping her," he offered, "Maybe get her to stay in one spot?"

"Don't do anything just yet you two," Ladybug cautioned. "Chat and I've tried that before and it always came back to bite us. We're going to do this right. Run distraction?" They eyed her and then each other, shrugging, before nodding.

"Sure thing. Count us as the distractions," Emerald smirked, standing, shield raised.

Fox rolled her eyes. "We have to be. Paris' number one annoyance isn't here."

"That's not very nice Lady Fox," Ladybug smirked, pulling her yo-yo off her hip, "Chat is not Paris' number one annoyance."

"Only cause you're dating him."

"Of course." Lady Fox chuckled before quickly following Emerald over the ledge and back down to the street. She pulled her flute out and swung a couple of blasts out of the way. When the way was cleared, she jumped forward, making sure the flute was square with her stomach. Miss Translate rose higher. Fox went under her feet but was suddenly landed on, slamming her violently into the concrete. The akuma smirked, holding her there, ready to blast. A green shield came from the side, smacking hard into her head, sending the blast into the side of the building and pushing the akuma off of her chest. Fox crawled away. The suits admittedly took a lot of the damage but it didn't mean they weren't completely scotch-free from injuries or the effects of them. She leaned herself against a car tire. Breathing was hard. A couple of deep gulps for air helped but she raised a hand to her collarbone to make sure nothing was broken. It was sore but intact. She sighed in relief.

Emerald landed next to her, checking quickly, "You alright?"

"Yeah, just… just winded." He patted her shoulder.

"Stay here babe, I'll handle this." A quick jump launched him away from her hiding spot. She chuckled and once her breathing was normal, she started to move, muttering, "Let you handle this? Oh no. Half of Paris is going to be gone.

Meanwhile, Ladybug stood on the rooftop, throwing her yo-yo into the air, shouting her magic spell, "Lucky Charm!" Little ladybugs flew from it, spinning rapidly until they finally formed…. "A toy gun?" The thing was ridiculous. It looked like a water gun but instead of having a place for water, there was a little suction cup on the end. "Of all the… alright, think Ladybug."

Her eyes darted around the area. First, Emerald lit up. Then Miss Translate. Then the gun. Then the pager.

The plan was there.

"Emerald, go for it!" He looked up from where he was being blasted by the akuma but shot her a smile. He was ready. Before he could move though, Lady Fox came from the side, swinging at Miss Translate which distracted her long enough to really free him up.

"Go," she hoarsely shouted. She grunted as the akuma struggled against her flute.

Emerald didn't hesitate, "Shell Shield!" He raised his arm and immediately the shield grew from it. He directed it like a director of a band; the shield moved in tandem with his wishes and arm movements until it wrapped the akuma in place. Lady Fox, of course, jumped out of the way as the akuma become entangled.

She screamed. Miss Translate squirmed violently against her restraints. Ladybug jumped from the building and as she did, she fired the toy gun. It suctioned onto the pager, and, against all logical scientific laws, it popped off of her hip and landed easily in her hand. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Max being anywhere nearby to shout, "THAT SHOULDN'T BE A THING!" Too bad he wasn't.

She smiled at the other two as they landed near her, "Nicely done you two. Now, let me purify this and we can all go check on…."

All three of them had to duck their heads and cover their ears from the unearthly screech that came from her.

Then, unexplainably, Emerald's shield shattered. In seconds, she flew at them, easily knocking both Fox and Emerald out of the way before grabbing Ladybug by the throat and slamming her into a nearby wall.

She gasped, holding the pager out of reach. Miss Translate growled, "Give me that device." Her voice echoed oddly. Her body glitched again; Ladybug could feel the pain this time as the dark, purple energy traveled across her body as well. She was left weak. Maybe there was something left over from Nightmare that was reacting to the new energy… she silently hoped not but she would ask Master Fu the next time she saw him.

First, she had to get away.

She attempted to kick and pull herself free from her grip but it seemed that she was far stronger than any akuma she'd faced before. It was getting harder to get air. Her vision was going fuzzy.

Within seconds, Ladybug went limp in her hand.


End file.
